Department for Transport

Bus Services: Disability

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to (a) publish the response to the 2018 consultation on the requirement for audio visual announcements to be mandatory on buses and (b) publish and lay the associated regulations; and what his planned timetable is for those regulations coming into force.

Trudy Harrison: The government remains committed to ensuring that disabled passengers using local bus services in Great Britain have the information they need to travel safely and with confidence, to know both where they are and where they are going, and to remove any fear that a journey will take them anywhere other than the place they want to go.We plan to publish the response to the accessible information consultation and lay the Accessible Information Regulations later this year. Subject to Parliamentary approval, these Regulations would commence in 2023.

Department for Transport: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published July 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) encourage and support workplace disability networks, (b) achieve and maintain the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensure responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) develop and embed flexible working.

Andrew Stephenson: DfT has undertaken multiple recent steps to address the points raised.In reference to point a) encouraging and supporting workplace disability networks:There are a number of staff networks across DfT and arm’s length bodies covering disability. Some cover disability generally. More specific subgroups cover neurodiversity, mental health conditions and d/Deafness and hearing loss. A Board Level Champion for disability is active and engaged in this agenda. A senior director sponsors DfT’s central disability network, Ability.Network committee members are given dedicated time away from their day to day roles specifically for the undertaking of network dutiesVia the Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing teams, funding for network events and training has been provided as well as guidance and planning support.Regarding work done to b) achieve and maintain the highest level of disability confident accreditation, the following recent steps have been taken:DfT was awarded Disability Confident Level 3 status - “Leader” - in 2021. DVLA have held this level since 2018. DVSA and MCA both hold Level 1 status, with action plans in place to raise this.DfT holds membership of disability themed professional organisations to provide support and guidance to networks, staff and DfT as a whole.In response to subsection c), actions taken to ensure response and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs includeThe Workplace Adjustments (WPA) team works with experts in the Cabinet Office, networks, and charities to continuously improve WPA guidance and interventions. The process has recently been streamlined based on feedback from employee networks and employee satisfaction levels have subsequently improved.A tailored service is in place to support disabled colleagues who need reasonable adjustments in order to help them to return to their offices.Finally, regarding DfT’s work to d) develop and embed flexible working:A culture of hybrid working has been successfully embedded at DVSA, VCA and DfT following the Covid-19 pandemic. In January 2022 DfT launched a hybrid working policy allowing most non-operational staff to spend a proportion of time every month working remotely.

Department for Transport: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's average response time was to an enquiry from a hon. Member to the MP (a) hotline and (b) account management team in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, either directly or on behalf of their constituents.The Department for Transport does not have either an MPs hotline or an account management team.The DVLA does provide a service where MPs can call for an update on cases. Response times are not recorded for this line.Data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers for 2019 and 2020 is published on Gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers Data for 2021 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

Railway Network

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to restore previously closed rail lines.

Trudy Harrison: In January 2020 the Government pledged £500 million for the Restoring Your Railway programme to deliver on our manifesto commitment to start reopening lines and stations to reconnect smaller communities, regenerate local economies and improve access to jobs, homes and education. We reopened the Dartmoor Line in November, the first line to be reinstated under the programme, and are supporting over 45 schemes at different stages of development with funding and advice.

Railways: Fares

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Answer of 1 February 2022 to Question 111677 on Railways: Fares, if he will publish a copy of the Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook.

Wendy Morton: The Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook is owned by the Passenger Demand Forecasting Council, of which the Department is a member. As per the Passenger Demand Forecasting Scheme rules only members and associate members of the scheme are granted a license to the Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook.

Northwich Station: Repairs and Maintenance

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the timetable for the rebuilding of Northwich Station after its partial collapse in May 2021.

Wendy Morton: The Department has been advised by Network Rail that they are working on the design and planning now, and are aiming to start the rebuilding work later this year.

Railways: Bicycles

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what requirements he places on train operating companies to provide sufficient and certain bicycle storage on trains.

Wendy Morton: The government currently contractually requires Train Operating Companies to permit folding cycles on all passenger services and non-folding cycles where reasonable. All Train Operating Companies currently allow carriage of cycles on trains, though provision varies by operator. In The Williams Shapps Plan for Rail the government committed to increasing space for cycles on existing trains wherever practically possible and that all future train fleets will need to include more cycle spaces relevant to the markets served. The government also committed to making it easier to reserve cycle spaces on trains online.In addition, the government has provided over £42m funding since 2012 through the Cycle Rail Fund to support over 20,000 new secure cycle storage spaces at train stations, as well as access improvements, security enhancements, cycle maintenance equipment and cycling routes to stations.

Heathrow Airport: Fees and Charges

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has conducted an assessment of the impact on tourism of the Civil Aviation Authority’s decision to allow Heathrow Airport to increase charges to its airline customers by 50 per cent.

Robert Courts: The Civil Aviation Authority is the independent economic regulator of Heathrow Airport and its primary duty is to further the interests of consumers. In doing so, it must also have regard to, amongst other things, the need for Heathrow Airport to be able to finance the investment necessary to keep the airport safe, secure and resilient. The Civil Aviation Authority has imposed a ‘holding’ price cap of £30.19 per passenger for 2022, which will be trued up or down once the five-year (2022-2026) regulatory settlement is finalised later this year. The setting of air fares is a commercial matter for individual airlines.

Cycling and Walking: Finance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when funds for Active Travel 3 will be available; and if he will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: The Department hopes to make an announcement on this matter shortly.

Bicycles: Flats

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will have discussions with Ministers in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities about design standards for flats to allow for (a) safe cycle storage in common parts and (b) sufficient space standards in flats for bicycles.

Trudy Harrison: Ministers and officials regularly meet with counterparts in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to discuss a range of issues including the role of the planning system in supporting the Government’s walking and cycling ambitions. The Department updated its Cycle Infrastructure Design Guidance in 2020 and this includes advice on the provision of residential facilities for cycle parking.

Invalid Vehicles: Speed Limits

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of aligning the UK's mobility scooter speed rules with those in the EU.

Trudy Harrison: The Government has not made an assessment of aligning the UK’s mobility scooter speed rules with those in the EU. The safety of all road users is a key priority for the Government. The current speed limit for mobility scooters is based on both safety and mobility considerations, balancing the interests of all road users.

Cycling

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role he expects cycling and electric bicycles to have in Local Transport Plan 4 and the decarbonisation of transport.

Trudy Harrison: The Department aims to consult later this year on the future of Local Transport Plans (LTPs) and will issue guidance to Local Authorities making clear that decarbonisation is one of the central requirements in the development of their LTPs. As part of their LTPs, Local Authorities will be expected to incorporate plans to enable more short journeys to be made on foot or by cycle, including electrically assisted bicycles.

Cycling: Road Traffic Offences

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Home Office on the (a) enforcement of the law against aggression towards cyclists and (b) number of successful prosecutions in relation to the extent of that matter.

Trudy Harrison: The Department agrees that all road users should be treated with respect and does not condone any form of aggression against cyclists or any other road user. The recent changes to The Highway Code are designed to bring about a positive shift in road user behaviour between those who drive, walk, cycle and ride horses. Decisions on enforcement priorities are entirely a matter for individual police forces, however, and the Department does not hold data on the number of successful prosecutions.

Roads: Greater London

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the condition of roads in (a) Bexley Borough and (b) Greater London.

Trudy Harrison: The Government has repeatedly shown its commitment to supporting London’s transport network throughout the pandemic, providing over £4.5bn in emergency funding to Transport for London. Transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London. It is for them to decide which projects to prioritise and how to allocate funding to London boroughs. This is in line with devolution arrangements on transport spending in other city regions in England. Where London boroughs are the highways authority, it is their responsibility to ensure upkeep.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of charging points for electric vehicles.

Trudy Harrison: The Government’s vision is to establish a UK-wide, easy to use and reliable electric vehicle charging infrastructure network to give more drivers the confidence to switch to electric and zero emission driving.To date, the Government and industry have supported the installation of over 28,000 publicly available charging devices, including more than 5,100 rapid devices. The UK already is a global front-runner in supporting provision of charging infrastructure and we are investing over £1.3 billion in accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure. This is targeting support on rapid chargepoints on motorways and major roads and installing more on-street chargepoints near homes and workplaces. Our grant schemes and the £400m Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will see thousands more electric vehicle charge-points installed across the UK.We have also consulted on improving the consumer experience at public chargepoints which including improving the reliability of chargepoints and opening data to ensure consumers can locate the right chargepoint for their needs and to identify whether it is available to use. We intend to publish our Government response shortly and lay legislation later in 2022. We recently announced that we intend to mandate reliability standards to give consumers confidence in the public charging infrastructure.Our forthcoming electric vehicle Infrastructure Strategy will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK. It will focus on how we will unlock the chargepoint rollout needed to enable the transition from early adoption to mass market uptake of electric vehicles and establish the Government’s expectations for the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the planning and deployment of charging infrastructure.

Driving Licences: Applications

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the delays in licensing applications at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are dealt with in a timely manner.

Trudy Harrison: The quickest and easiest way to apply for a driving licence is by using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online service. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their licence within a few days.However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example if medical investigations are needed.

Transport for London: Finance

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department conducted an impact assessment for pedestrian and cyclist safety when calculating the level of financial support provided by the Government to TfL.

Trudy Harrison: Transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London, including spending on their active travel and healthy streets programmes. Government has supported the network with over £4.5bn of emergency funding since the start of the pandemic in recognition of its reliance on fare revenue and Government continues to mitigate this loss of revenue due to the pandemic.

Roads: Accidents

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal road accidents involving someone driving the vehicle under the age of 17 when that person (i) owned the vehicle and (ii) did not own the vehicle they were driving at the time of the incident have occurred in the UK in each of the last 20 years.

Trudy Harrison: The Department does not hold information on whether drivers in reported personal injury road accidents own the vehicle they are operating at the time of the road accident.

Driving Licences: Medical Examinations

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many outstanding (a) driving licence renewals, (b) applications for provisional licences and (c) other driving licence applications are pending processing by the DVLA for those with medical conditions.

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the timeframes for (a) applications and (b) renewals of driving licences being processed by the DVLA for applicants with medical conditions.

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the backlog of applications for driving licences for people with medical conditions.

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time taken for DVLA to contact an applicant's GP or health professional where medical input is required to process an application or renewal for a driving licence.

Trudy Harrison: The quickest and easiest way to apply for a driving licence is by using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online service. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their licence within a few days.However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here. There will be additional delays in processing applications where medical investigations are needed.The number of applications awaiting processing fluctuates on a daily basis as licences are issued and new applications received.In December the Department of Health and Social Care asked the DVLA to temporarily pause referrals to the NHS for driver licensing purposes to allow the NHS to rightly prioritise the vaccination booster rollout. Referrals for lorry and bus drivers were prioritised and continued during this time and all referrals have now restarted. The large majority of drivers renewing a licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being considered, providing they can meet the criteria outlined hereThe DVLA recognises the impact on drivers who have to renew their licence more regularly and is working hard to improve the process. Drivers with diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, a visual impairment, a sleep condition or a heart condition can renew their licence online.The DVLA has also recently introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy and multiple sclerosis and is piloting this for some mental health conditions. This renewal process has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver. The DVLA is looking at adding more medical conditions to this new process.These measures are having a positive impact and customers will see an improving picture in terms of turnaround times.

Driving Licences: Medical Examinations

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will review section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to give greater responsibility to medical professionals and less responsibility on insurance companies, for determining whether a person can legally drive.

Trudy Harrison: Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 may allow driving licence applicants to continue driving while their application is being processed. It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that they meet the criteria for driving under these provisions. The criteria is outlined here.If a doctor or optician has advised a driver that they must not drive, they should stop driving with immediate effect. If a driver is in any doubt whether they are safe to drive, they should seek advice from their doctor or optician.Insurance cover in these circumstances would be a matter between the driver and their insurance company.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Science: Domicil

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the trends in the net flow of publishing scientists in relation to being domiciled in the UK and overseas in each of the last three years.

George Freeman: Science is a global co-operative endeavour and scientists circulate around the world to collaborate and learn from their peers. To further our ambitions as a science superpower, we need to ensure the UK is internationally competitive for this globally mobile talent, with reduced barriers to mobility. We have therefore set out actions to ensure the UK attracts, develops and retains talented individuals and strong teams in research and development, in the R&D People and Culture Strategy. The strategy also recognises the importance of mobility between sectors, including between academia and industry. We do not hold information regarding the domicile of publishing scientists. Although information is available on their academic affiliations, scientists can be affiliated to multiple institutions in multiple countries at the same time. International researchers continue to move to the UK: the Global Talent visa, introduced on 20 February 2020, accounted for 2,768 grants in the High Value visa category for the year ending September 2021, around half (50%) of all High Value visa grants. UKRI’s Endorsed Funder route for obtaining the Global Talent visa has endorsed 875 applications since April 2021, currently receiving 100 to 120 applications per month.

Science: Employment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage publishing scientists to work in the UK following the UK's departure from the EU.

George Freeman: We are continuously improving our approach to attracting global talent to the UK. Our R&D People and Culture Strategy set out actions to attract, retain and develop talented people, ensuring R&D careers in the UK are appealing to talented individuals and teams both domestically and internationally. The Global Talent visa, along with the forthcoming High Potential Individual and Scale-up visa routes announced in the Innovation Strategy, provides fast track visa routes for high skilled individuals and their teams. Through the Office for Talent (OfT), we are delivering further visa reform and reviewing our talent offer to make sure that our programmes are among the best and most attractive in the world. BEIS has worked with the OfT and GREAT to launch an online service to attract highly skilled, international talent, providing key information on the UK offer and thus making it easier to come to the UK. This service is available at: https://greattalent.campaign.gov.uk/ The government will also launch a Global Talent Network, which aims to bring talented individuals to the UK in key science and tech sectors. The Global Talent Network will work with businesses and research institutions to identify UK skills needs and source Science and Tech talent in overseas universities and innovation hubs to bring to the UK.

Small Businesses: Carbon Emissions

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support SMEs who wish to make their business carbon neutral.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support his Department is providing to SMEs that wish to become carbon negative.

Greg Hands: Businesses have significant power to drive change towards achieving our domestic net zero goal. To underline the importance of this area, last year the Government led the Race to Zero campaign targeting small and microbusinesses across the UK. Over 2,700 have joined the Race to Zero to date. The Government has worked closely with the international UN-backed SME Climate Hub, which is part of the global Race to Zero campaign, to embed a UK campaign page known as the UK Business Climate Hub. This campaign page offers free advice to small business on how to be greener and save money, along with inspiring UK case studies. Upon making their SME climate commitment to join the Race to Zero, businesses gain free access to a suite of resources to help them measure, reduce and report on emissions.

Nurseries: Government Assistance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what additional support he is providing to nurseries to help them meet the rise in energy costs.

Greg Hands: The Government’s priority is to ensure costs are managed and supplies of energy are maintained. The Secretary of State is in regular contact with the energy industry and Ofgem to manage the impact of high global gas prices and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Biofuels: Subsidies

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason only 70 per cent of the wood pellets burnt in UK power stations need to be sustainably sourced in order to qualify for renewable subsidies; and what discussions he had with stakeholders in developing that policy.

Greg Hands: The land criteria for woody biomass, which includes the definitions of legal and sustainable sourcing, were transposed into the requirements of support schemes from the Timber Standard for Heat and Electricity (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/timber-standard-for-heat-electricity) at the time of the schemes’ developments. Stakeholders have been consulted repeatedly during the development and enhancement of the UK’s biomass sustainability criteria, and the outcomes of the consultations can be found on gov.uk. This includes the last consultation on adjustments to sustainability and reporting provisions for biomass under https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/biomass-sustainability The Government is currently reviewing its existing biomass sustainability criteria across the transport, heat and energy sectors and intends to set out recommendations for further enhancements to these in the Biomass Strategy, set to be published in late 2022.

Natural Gas: Meters

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the cost to households of removing gas meters.

Greg Hands: The cost to households of removing a gas meter will vary depending on the type of property, the location of the meter and its service pipe and where they connect to the mains gas infrastructure situated underground on public land outside the property. On safety grounds, the service pipe will be cut as close as possible to the mains gas, meaning the Local Authority may charge to allow the excavation of any pavement and/or road.

Urenco: Government Shareholding

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to review its shareholding in Urenco and options for reducing its stake.

Greg Hands: The Government is not currently reviewing its shareholding in Urenco and has no current plans to pursue a sale of all or part of its one-third stake in URENCO.

Renewable Energy: Finance

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the total amount of strike price top up payments made to companies under Contracts for Difference by the Low Carbon Contracts Company was in each of the last five years.

Greg Hands: The Low Carbon Contracts Company publishes information on payments to projects supported by the Contracts for Difference scheme on their Data Portal[1].[1] https://www.lowcarboncontracts.uk/dashboards/cfd/actuals-dashboards/historical-dashboard

Biofuels: Carbon Emissions

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the forecast of a 190 year carbon payback time for the switch from burning coal to burning wood in the Climatic Change journal article entitled Harvesting in boreal forests and the biofuel carbon debt.

Greg Hands: The Government only supports biomass that complies with strict sustainability criteria. In a sustainably managed forest, there will be stands of trees each of different ages, which will be harvested in gradual sequence, and replaced, as they reach maturity. There is evidence to suggest that the overall age profile of the forest therefore remains constant, and carbon sequestration can be maintained decade after decade.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the requirement to publish net zero annual transition plans will apply to all large businesses domiciled in the UK.

Greg Hands: The Government announced in November 2021 that the UK will move towards making publication of transition plans mandatory for certain firms. Initially, this will require asset managers, regulated asset owners and listed companies to publish transition plans that consider the government’s net zero commitment or provide an explanation if they have not done so. As standards for transition plans emerge, the Government and regulators will take steps to incorporate these into the UK’s Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and strengthen requirements to encourage consistency in published plans and increased adoption by 2023.

Electricity: Billing

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what social, environmental and other levies currently added to electricity bills are due to expire in each of next 10 years; and if he will set out the (a) value and (b) policy detail of each of those levies.

Greg Hands: Under current arrangements, no social and environmental levies on electricity bills are due to expire in the next 10 years. According to Ofgem, social, environmental, and other levies totalled 25.48 percent on electricity bills in 2020. The policy detail of each of these levies can be found published on Ofgem’s website: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes

Natural Gas: Meters

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives of Meter Asset Providers on the costs for customers of removing gas metres from their homes.

Greg Hands: The Government regularly engages with energy suppliers and Meter Asset Providers to understand the costs incurred by suppliers associated with meter provision, rental and removal. Suppliers are responsible for removing a gas meter and capping the incoming gas supply when this is requested by the customer, and may choose to charge for providing this service. The costs suppliers incur from a Meter Asset Provider for removing a gas meter will differ according to their individual contractual arrangements. Customers are normally required to pay a separate charge to their gas distribution company to disconnect their gas supply from the network.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of the availability of the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

Greg Hands: In the 2021/22 scheme year, all low-income pensioners who are potentially eligible for a rebate under the Warm Home Discount Core Group will have received a letter from the Government by mid-December 2021. Most will receive the rebate automatically; in 2020/21, around 95% of Core Group recipients received their rebates automatically. In addition, the Warm Home Discount website is widely signposted and used by consumer groups, charities, and energy comparison websites to maximise uptake. Energy suppliers are responsible for administering their Broader Group rebates, including setting their eligibility criteria and providing the rebates to eligible households. Suppliers make their customers aware of the scheme and are usually over-subscribed with applications. Last summer, the Government consulted on extending, expanding, and reforming the scheme such that from winter 2022/23 the vast majority of all Warm Home Discount rebates would be provided automatically.

Heating: Renewable Energy

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish an update of the reforms to the Electrical Performance Certificate (EPC) to take into account the performance of heat pumps and other renewable electrical sources.

Greg Hands: Electrical Performance Certificates (EPCs) use an Energy Efficient Rating to measure energy performance based on the estimated running costs of the building. Since energy costs can be a significant outlay, it is important homeowners and occupiers are aware of the running costs of their property. Using the Energy Efficient Rating ensures that recommendations generated by the EPC lead to a reduction in energy cost. Given the higher cost of electricity relative to gas, the presence of a heat pump may result in a lower Energy Efficient Rating without additional measures to reduce energy demand, such as insulation. The Government has recently reinstated the Environmental Impact Rating on the EPC, which measures energy performance based on carbon dioxide emissions, and recognises lower carbon measures such as heat pumps. Recent consultations on policies that use EPCs have sought views on alternative metric options to both reduce emissions and keep energy bills low. The responses to these consultations are being analysed and Government responses will be published in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Carbon Emissions

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what was the total cost was of his Department's heroes of net zero competition.

Greg Hands: The total cost of the Heroes of Net Zero competition was £10,591.09. These were promotional costs as all other costs were met by the competition sponsors. One of the winners included Design Abled, a micro business from Middlesex that created a face shield for hearing impaired individuals.

Forests: Conservation

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which countries have contributed to the $12 billion donor fund announced at COP26 to halt and reverse forest loss and protect land rights; and how much each of those donors has committed.

Greg Hands: Over a five-year period between 2021-2025, the $12billion Global Forest Finance Pledge will support forest-related climate action in countries eligible for Official Development Assistance.The pledge has been supported by 12 public donors: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, the UK, the USA, and the European Commission on behalf of the European Union.The UK has confirmed to provide at least £1.5 billion to the pledge. Further details of what the pledge will deliver on can be found at:https://ukcop26.org/the-global-forest-finance-pledge/

Drax Power Station: Carbon Emissions

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the supply chain carbon cost per MWh is for power generated by Drax when fuelled by (a) domestically sourced coal and (b) wood exported from the USA.

Greg Hands: The Government does not hold this information.

Drax Power Station: Carbon Emissions

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish his estimates for the amount of (a) lost carbon sequestration and (b) greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the decomposition of the roots of trees burnt at Drax power station.

Greg Hands: The Government does not hold this information.

Disability: Employment

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy published July 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken on (a) encouraging and supporting workplace disability networks, (b) achieving and maintaining the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensuring responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) developing and embedding flexible working.

Lee Rowley: The Department has taken the following steps: a) BEIS has an existing disability network which brings together colleagues with disabilities and long-term health conditions. The network is supported by a champion from the Senior Civil Service and has access to Purple Space, which is a professional development hub for disability network leaders. b) BEIS was accredited as a Disability Confident Leader in 2017 and was successfully reaccredited in 2020. This was validated by Business Disability Forum (BDF) and the Department continues to work closely with BDF as well as the disability network to ensure that BEIS maintains the standards of a Disability Confident Leader. c) Support is given at recruitment stage for reasonable adjustments or in the event of ill health during employment. We have specialist software readily available to support several different disabilities, policies that allow flexible working patterns, and access to specialist equipment. d) BEIS has developed a wide range of flexible working practices that have been operating since our creation in 2016. A recent addition is the opportunity for staff to work in a hybrid way (a blend of office and home working).

Higher Education: Research

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made on the impact of the Research Excellence Framework on academic freedom.

George Freeman: Research England, working with the HE Education Funding Bodies in the Devolved Nations, is conducting an extensive evaluation of the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, including a recent call for feedback from Higher Education Providers and individuals involved in the research system. This evidence with inform the design of the next national research evaluation. A key principle of the current Research Excellence Framework (REF) is that all types of research and all forms of research output across all disciplines is assessed on a fair and equal basis. The REF aims to assess all types of research without distorting the activity that it measures, or encouraging or discouraging any particular type of research activity, other than providing a general stimulus to enhancing the overall achievements of the UK research base.

Innovation and Research: Regional Planning and Development

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 170 of the Levelling Up White Paper, what the baseline is for increasing public R&D investment by 40 per cent; and whether that baseline includes money from European structural funds.

George Freeman: The Spending Review committed to an increase in public R&D spending to £20bn by 2024-25, contributing to the economy-wide target to invest 2.4% of GDP in R&D by 2027. The Levelling Up White Paper set the mission for domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East to increase by at least one third over the Spending Review period and at least 40 percent by 2030, with that additional government funding seeking to leverage at least twice as much private sector investment over the long term to stimulate innovation and productivity growth. This is baselined against spending levels in 2021-22 and doesn’t include EU Programmes Association funding. The UK Government has asked the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the UK Government Office for Science to work with all Whitehall departments to collect and publish sub-national data on their R&D spending. This will allow us to track progress on the mission to 2030.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to respond to the letter of 25 November 2021 from the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys on behalf of a constituent regarding solar panels.

George Freeman: My hon Friend provided a copy of the enquiry to the Department on 1 February. A reply has now been sent to my hon Friend.

Post Offices: ICT

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that incidents such as the Post Office Horizon scandal will not happen again.

Paul Scully: On 29 September 2020, BEIS formally launched the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry which will establish a clear account of the implementation and failings of Horizon over its lifetime, as well as ensuring lessons are learnt so that a similar situation will not be repeated in the future. The Post Office’s Chief Executive is leading a programme of improvements to overhaul the culture, practices and operating procedures throughout every part of its business. The Government continues to closely monitor delivery of these improvements. Ministers and officials are holding the Post Office to account for taking on board the lessons learned through the litigation and will want to see clear evidence that real change has taken place.

Post Offices: ICT Inquiry: Compensation

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the 555 litigants who won civil proceedings against Post Office Ltd in 2018-19 will be included in the Post Office Horizon compensation scheme.

Paul Scully: The 555 subpostmasters involved in the Group Litigation Order (GLO) agreed a settlement of £42.75m plus costs. My officials have recently met their representatives to understand the harms which they have experienced. Postmasters who have had their Horizon-related conviction overturned are eligible for interim compensation payments of up to £100k. This includes postmasters with quashed convictions who were also part of the GLO.

Musicians: Pay

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken to assess the adequacy of the level of remuneration that musicians in Newport West constituency receive from music streaming services.

George Freeman: A comprehensive programme of research and extensive stakeholder engagement is underway to investigate the issues around music creator remuneration highlighted by the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Select Committee’s inquiry into the economics of music streaming. This work will strengthen the Government’s evidence base on this issue.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme: Repayments

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the total (a) number and (b) value of Bounce Bank Loan Scheme loans are where borrowers have (i) made repayments as scheduled and (ii) not started repayments.

Paul Scully: As of 31 May 2021, 1,560,309 Bounce Back Loans had been approved by accredited lenders, to the value of £47.36bn. Because many borrowers are using “Pay as You Grow” options, it is not possible to provide a definitive figure for on-schedule payments for the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS). However, latest figures show that £2.04bn, or 4% of total facilities, have been repaid in full.

Business: Coronavirus

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will provide a full list of the lenders to the (a) Bounce Back Loan Scheme, (b) Covid Business Interruption Loan Scheme and (c) Covid Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme; and which lenders have made a disproportionately high number of loans to (i) dissolved entities or (ii) entities incorporated since the outbreak of covid-19.

Paul Scully: The Department and the British Business Bank continue to work with lenders to identify and address all types of fraud perpetrated through the Covid Loan Schemes. For example, under the Bank’s Guarantee Assurance Analytics programme, BBLS lenders are investigating several thousand facilities with potential data inconsistencies, including regarding incorporation dates. We are unable to disclose the rates of indicators of suspected fraud[PG1] by individual lender at this time due to the commercially sensitive nature of this information. Full lists of all accredited lenders as at scheme closures on 31 March 2021 are as follows: CBILSBBLSCLBILSABN AMROBank of ScotlandBank of ScotlandAldermoreBarclaysBarclaysART Business LoansClydesdale / Yorkshire BanksClydesdale / Yorkshire BankAskIfDanske BankDanske BankBank of Ireland UKHSBCHSBC UKBank of ScotlandLloyds BankLloyds BankBarclaysNatWestNatWestBCRS Business LoansRBSRBSBusiness Enterprise FundSantanderSantanderCalverton FinanceUlster BankUlster BankChamber Acorn FundTSBCouttsClydesdale / Yorkshire BankAIBGreensillCompass Business FinanceStarling BankMetro BankCounty Finance GroupThe Co-operative BankOakNorth BankCWRTBank of Ireland (UK)Secure Trust BankDanske BankSkipton Business FinanceThinCatsDSL Business FinanceTideClose BrothersEnterprise AnswersMetro BankHSBC Bank plcFinance for EnterpriseParagon BankSilicon Valley BankFirst EnterpriseJCB FinanceBBVAGC Business FinanceInvestecInvestecGenesis Asset FinanceArbuthnot LathamMercedes Benz Financial ServicesHaydock FinanceCouttsAIBHitachi CapitalAdam & CoBank of Ireland (UK)HSBC UKCapital on TapRBC Capital MarketsLet's Do Business GroupFunding CircleThe Co-operative BankLloyds BankConisterBank of Ireland (Governor & Company of)Metro BankGC Business Finance MSIFClose Brothers NatWestBank of Scotland NewableBarclays RBSClydesdale / Yorkshire Banks Robert Owen Community BankingDanske Bank SantanderHSBC Skipton Business FinanceLloyds Bank SWIG FinanceNatWest TSBRBS UKSESantander Ulster BankUlster Bank Arkle Finance LimitedTSB Close BrothersAIB CouttsStarling Bank Cynergy BankThe Co-operative Bank OakNorth BankBank of Ireland (UK) Secure Trust BankSkipton Business Finance Starling BankTide The Co-operative BankMetro Bank Funding CircleParagon Bank AIBJCB Finance IGFInvestec ParagonArbuthnot Latham ThincatsCoutts 1pmAdam & Co Adam & CoCapital on Tap Assetz CapitalFunding Circle Atom bankConister EburyGC Business Finance InvestecClose Brothers Social Investment Business  Tower Leasing  Ultimate Finance  White Oak UK  Bank Leumi / Leumi ABL  Capital on Tap  MarketFinance  Shawbrook Bank  Liberis  Community Finance Ireland (previously Ulster Community Investment Trust (UCIT))  iwoca  Scania Financial Services  Triodos Bank UK  Woodsford TradeBridge  FSE Group, The  FW Capital  Mercia Asset Management  Whiterock Finance  Arbuthnot Commerical ABL  Shire Leasing  Silicon Valley Bank  Growth Lending  Invocap  NEL Fund Managers  Triple Point  4Syte  Asset Finance Partners  JCB  Merchant Money  United Trust Bank  Previse  Handelsbanken  Lending Crowd  Nucleus Commercial Finance  Maven Capital Partners  Bank of India  Fiduciam  Simply  Regency Factors  BLG Development Finance  Conister  RM Funds  Western Union Business Solutions  LendInvest  Interbay  Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)  Cyan Finance  Ortus Secured Finance  Greensill  Funding 365  Hampshire Trust Bank  Kingsway Asset Finance  BRYDG Capital  Kennet Leasing  West One  KSEYE  Aspen Bridging  Pluto Finance  @Ross, Lloyd (BEIS) to check this woridng change with BBB but i think this is more accurate - it's lender who determine if these cases actually represent fraud i think? [PG1]

Postal Services: Standards

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Royal Mail deliveries in Runcorn and Helsby.

Paul Scully: Royal Mail has publicly stated that it is aware of the reduction in service levels in some areas and is taking action to reduce delays to deliveries. Its contingency plans to mitigate disruption to postal services are overseen by Ofcom. Ofcom continues to monitor Royal Mail’s performance to ensure it is providing the best service it can to customers and has powers to investigate and take enforcement action if Royal Mail fails to achieve its performance targets.

Electric Scooters: Import Controls

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking steps to stop the import of non-compliant e-scooters into the UK.

Paul Scully: The UK government is committed to ensuring that consumers are protected from unsafe goods. Manufacturers need to ensure that the e-scooter devices they place on the market meet all the product safety regulations that apply. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) works with Local Authorities and border authorities to help ensure that products imported and sold in the UK are safe and that action is taken against those who place unsafe or non-compliant products on the market.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average response time was for his Department to respond to an enquiry from an MP once an enquiry had been received by the MP (a) hotline and (b) account management team in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

George Freeman: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, either directly or on behalf of their constituents. Data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers for 2019 and 2020 is published on Gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers. Data for 2021 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

Research: Regional Planning and Development

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 170 of the Levelling Up White Paper, whether he plans for public research and development investment in every region outside the Greater South East to increase by 40 per cent.

George Freeman: By 2030, domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East will increase by at least 40%, and over the Spending Review period by at least one third. We have not set specific targets for each region - the 40% increase refers to regions outside the Greater South East in aggregate. This ensures we are not constraining the ambitions of any one region. This mission will complement more targeted interventions in places with high R&D potential, including the £100m investment Innovation Accelerators supporting three UK city regions to become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation.

Innovation and Research: Regional Planning and Development

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to box 3.6 on page 172 of the Levelling Up White Paper, whether the expectation for his Department to spend at least £7 in every £10 outside the Greater South East will be met by (a) UKRI, (b) Research England, (c) the Research Councils, (d) Innovate UK, (e) ARIA and (f) other individual bodies.

George Freeman: BEIS will aim for the regions and nations outside the Greater South East to receive at least 55% of its research and development (R&D) funding by 2024/25. To support this BEIS will make levelling up one of the objectives of its R&D investment strategy to ensure its £39.8bn settlement between 2022/23–2024/25 boosts R&D and economic growth across the whole of the UK. In some areas like Net Zero, BEIS expects at least £7 in every £10 it invests will be invested outside the Greater South East over the spending review period.

UK Research and Innovation: Regional Planning and Development

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 173 of the Levelling Up White Paper, what assessment he has made of the outcomes that will result from UKRI’s new objective to support Levelling Up; and how he plans to measure success of that objective.

George Freeman: UKRI’s new objective will help to deepen its commitment to delivering social and economic impact for citizens across the whole UK. UKRI will set out how it intends to deliver on this objective in its strategy later in 2022. One element of that response will be a suite of resources that teams across UKRI can use to incorporate levelling up into the design and delivery of their programmes, helping UKRI to work towards a more diverse and connected system across academia, businesses and the public sector.

Park Homes: Energy Supply

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making changes to the energy reseller arrangements to enable a mechanism for refunds to be issued to park home owners in the case of disruption to energy supply.

Greg Hands: Changes to the Maximum Resell Price rules are a matter for Ofgem. Ofgem’s Quality of Service Guaranteed Standards for energy distribution companies lay out the criteria for domestic and business customers to receive payments for the inconvenience of loss of supply.

Northern Ireland Office

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that Northern Ireland receives an equitable share of funding allocated through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund following the UK's departure from the EU.

Conor Burns: The Secretary of State and I are working closely with our colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the design and delivery of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Northern Ireland. The Fund will make available a mixture of both revenue and capital funding to invest in local priority projects. The funding will be allocated by formula rather than by competition, and the Government has pledged that it will at least match EU receipts. All allocations will be conditional on Government approval of investment plans. More detail on the allocation formula, including local allocations, will be made available in due course.

Department of Health and Social Care

Care Homes: Visits

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consultation his Department undertook with (a) residents and (b) the families of residents in care homes, when forming the most recent guidance on care home visiting.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Alcoholism: Rehabilitation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to From harm to hope: a 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives published in December 2021, whether the £533 million specified to support local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England includes funding for alcohol treatment services.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Unispace Global: Protective Clothing

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department paid £600 million to Unispace Global Ltd for the purchase of personal protective equipment in 2020; and if he will provide a breakdown of the supplies purchased under contracts awarded by the Department to Unispace Global Ltd.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Mental Health Services

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the availability of children and young people's specialist mental health professionals in A&E settings.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Incontinence: Health Services

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what NHS support is available for family carers looking after relatives with continence problems.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: North West

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the ability of patients in (a) Oldham, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) the North West to access NHS dental services in the context of the funding available to deliver NHS dental services relative to patient population.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 23 July 2021 from the hon. Member for Rochdale on treatment for lymphedema.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Protective Clothing: Contracts

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2022 to Question 103559 on Coronavirus: Protective Clothing, whether the personal protective equipment (PPE) provided by (a) Pestfix and (b) Ayanda which is not currently available for release to the NHS as a result of technical and quality issues was included in the £0.67 billion of PPE which cannot be used or the £2.6 billion of PPE which is not suitable for use within the health and social care sector, reported in his Department's annual report and accounts.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Services: Equality

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to address inequalities in unmet adult social care need by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) ethnicity and (d) geography.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Services: Finance

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to reconsider the funding formulae for local authorities’ social care, service planning and preventative strategies to take into account inequalities in the need for and experience of adult social care.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Services: Ethnic Groups

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the experience of inequalities in adult social care need by ethnicity; and what plans his Department has to tackle that matter.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Services: Finance

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to address inequalities in adult social care receipt by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) ethnicity and (d) geography.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Neurology: Research

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research or initiatives are taking place to improve support for people diagnosed with functional neurological disorders.

Maria Caulfield: The Government is committed to improving support for people living with neurological conditions, including functional neurological disorders (FND).The Department funds research into conditions through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). In 2020-21, the NIHR spent £40.3 million on neurological research. This includes research into a range of neurological conditions including FND. The NIHR is currently funding a large trial of a specialist physiotherapy programme to reduce disability caused by functional motor disorder, a type of FND.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a guideline which covers the initial assessment of symptoms and signs that might indicate a neurological condition, including FND. It helps non-specialist healthcare professionals to identify people who should be offered referral for specialist investigation. A link to the guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127The NICE is currently developing a guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which will consider functional neurological disorder.

Cancer: Health Services

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure there is nationwide post-diagnosis cancer support across the UK.

Maria Caulfield: The National Health Service (NHS) Long Term Plan for Cancer states that where appropriate every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support. The Government is committed to delivering this ambition.Cancer Alliances are leading programmes of work to embed these personalised care interventions within local providers. NHS England and NHS Improvement is supporting staff to offer personalised care to people affected by cancer by promoting awareness and understanding of the interventions and how to improve their quality. This includes providing resources such as a handbook on personalised stratified follow up, a checklist on health and wellbeing information and support and sharing of best practice.Holistic Needs Assessments and personalised care interventions more broadly are now widespread. Data from Cancer Alliances in March 2021 showed that, despite the pandemic, approximately 83% of all cancer multi-disciplinary teams (approximately 1,130 teams) had implemented Personalised Care and Support Planning based on Holistic Needs Assessment. This is significant progress compared to a baseline in 2017 of approximately 25% of teams.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for an artificial pancreas to be available through the NHS for children and young people with type one diabetes.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement are collecting data on use of closed loop systems as part of the hybrid closed loop pilot. This data is due to be analysed in April 2022. The findings will be shared with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to inform a multiple technology appraisal. The outcome of this appraisal is expected to be published in autumn 2022. This will determine whether the technology will be offered on the National Health Service and which patients it is recommended for. If recommended, trusts would be expected to routinely offer the system in line with NICE’s guidance within six months of the guidance being published.

Care Homes: Staff

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to enshrine in law an essential care giver status to protect the welfare and well-being of care home residents.

Gillian Keegan: All care home residents should be supported to nominate an essential care giver who can visit in periods of outbreak and when their friend or family member in a care home is isolating, to provide companionship and extra care. However, we do not currently have plans to legislate as the current arrangements already provide residents and families with avenues to raise concerns.If a resident or their family think the care home is not following visiting guidance appropriately, they should raise it with the home in the first instance. They can also contact the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who will investigate complaints. The effect of legislating would remain the same as these current arrangements, as the actions CQC would take in response to complaints would be the same as they currently are.

Lung Diseases

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in each year from 2010-11 to 2020-21 in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) treatment and (b) support for people living with pulmonary fibrosis.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current level of public spending on research into a cure for pulmonary fibrosis.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds data on the number of people who died due to pulmonary fibrosis in each year from 2010-11 to 2020-21 in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

Gillian Keegan: The information requested for the number of diagnoses and deaths in England due to pulmonary fibrosis is not held. The information requested for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is not collected as this is a devolved matter.The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recently undertook a single technology appraisal of nintedanib, an anti-fibrotic drug for use in patients with many different types of progressive lung fibrosis. The drug is being commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement and will be available from 17 February 2022. It is expected it will allow treatment for fibrosis to be administered to a wider group of patients and prolong the lives of many. NHS England and NHS Improvement have amended the dashboard overseeing the performance of specialist interstitial lung disease centres in England. This is intended to deliver improved care for patients with pulmonary fibrosis, focussing on patient outcomes, involvement in research trials and reducing waits in services. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) awarded £696,932 for research into pulmonary fibrosis in 2020/21. Currently, the NIHR supports 122 studies into pulmonary fibrosis.

Disability: Employment

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published July 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) encourage and support workplace disability networks, (b) achieve and maintain the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensure responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) develop and embed flexible working.

Gillian Keegan: Since the publication of the National Disability Strategy, the department has continued to support workplace disability networks by fostering a close working relationship between networks and corporate functions, to continue raising awareness of different disabilities and long-term conditions and through the development of the department’s staff disability action plan which was launched at the end of 2021.We have worked closely with the Business Disability Forum to embed their recommendations to maintain our Level 3 Disability Confident accreditation.Through staff engagement, we have identified key barriers that are impacting the provision of support in meeting workplace adjustment needs and have committed to specific actions to address this as part of our disability action plan.The Department continues to review existing policy and guidance around flexible working to ensure it is still effective and supports disabled people.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if care home (a) employees and (b) volunteers are still required to be fully vaccinated against covid-19.

Gillian Keegan: The Government announced its intention to revoke the regulations making vaccination a condition of deployment in health and all social care settings. Until the regulations are revoked, the legal requirements currently in force will continue to apply. Revoking vaccination as a condition of deployment is subject to consultation and parliamentary approval.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Misuse

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding the Government provides to support local authorities and other agencies in drug and alcohol prevention.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding the Government provides to support local authorities and other agencies in providing Drug and Alcohol Mental Health Services.

Gillian Keegan: On 6 December 2021 the Government published ‘From harm to hope – a 10 year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives”’ The strategy focusses on prevention among children and young people and that treatment also has a preventative effect. The most effective and sustainable approach to reducing demand for drugs is building resilience in young people and the strategy sets out measures to prevent the onset of drug use among children and young people, including through universal education and targeted work with young people and families.We have committed £780 million over the next three years to deliver a treatment and recovery system. Of this, £533 million will enable local authorities to commission and invest in substance misuse treatment services in England. This is in addition to the current annual Public Health Grant, with which we expect local authorities to continue to invest in drug and alcohol treatment and prevention services. This will enable better integration of mental health services and substance misuse treatment. We are working with the National Health Service to introduce effective pathways and better integration between substance misuse and mental health treatment, including improving the skills of the substance misuse workforce.

Lung Diseases: Diagnosis

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the median time was between a patient's first GP appointment and a confirmed diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis in each year from 2010-11 to 2020-21 in England.

Gillian Keegan: Data is not available in the format requested.

Incontinence: Health Services

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of continence advisory services operating across the NHS in England in (a), 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Gillian Keegan: This information is not held centrally by NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Fibromyalgia: Cannabis

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2022 to Question 135976 on Fibromylagia, what research he has undertaken to assess the effectiveness of cannabis-based products to manage chronic pain in adults.

Maria Caulfield: The Department has made no such assessment. Clinical guidelines from The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend that cannabis-based products for medicinal use are not offered to manage chronic pain in adults and that cannabidiol (CBD) only be offered as part of a clinical trial. The NICE recognises the lack of evidence to support the use of these medicines and recommends that further research is carried out on the clinical and cost effectiveness of CBD as an add-on treatment for adults with fibromyalgia or for persistent treatment resistant neuropathic pain.As for all other medicines, it is the responsibility of the manufacturers to generate the evidence required for assessment by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NICE. The National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research from industry and academia into any aspect of human health, including chronic pain.

Healthy Start Scheme: Employment and Support Allowance

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that new parents who are in receipt of employment and support allowance are not negatively impacted by their ineligibility for the Healthy Start scheme.

Maria Caulfield: The Healthy Start scheme encourages a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies and young children under four from low-income households.We are supporting children and families though the expansion of family hubs in more areas and the implementation of the Early Years Healthy Development Review. We announced £300 million to fund a network of family hubs, Start for Life services, perinatal mental health support, breastfeeding services, and parenting programmes in 75 local authorities over the next three years. We are also providing a further £200 million to expand the Supporting Families programme. This is universal and includes new parents in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance.

Dental Services: Coronavirus

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of short-notice dentist appointment cancellations as a result of covid-19 on the ability of dental practices to meet the 85 per cent UDA target and deliver additional dental capacity appointments.

Maria Caulfield: The potential impact of COVID-19 cancellations was considered in setting the 85% threshold.Dental practices are required to maintain a short notice cancellation list and to proactively contact patients to offer appointments as part of the arrangements for income protection during the COVID-19 pandemic. This seeks to allow available appointment slots to be filled more quickly, benefiting both patients and dental contractors.An exceptions process remains in place and where practices have faced particular challenges in meeting the thresholds as a result of extenuating circumstances, they are encouraged to discuss these with their commissioners.

General Practitioners: Registration

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has any plans to review guidance for primary care trusts with regards to how GP practices manage their patient lists.

Maria Caulfield: The Primary Medical Care Policy and Guidance Manual includes guidance for commissioners on the management of General Practice patient lists. This manual was last updated in January 2021 and the next annual refresh is currently being prepared for publication.

Dental Services: Weaver Vale

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of NHS dental care waiting times for people in Weaver Vale constituency; and what steps his Department is taking to increase NHS dental care capacity.

Maria Caulfield: Data on waiting times for National Health Service dental appointments is not collected centrally by NHS England. Appointments for National Health Service (NHS) treatments are managed directly by dental practices.NHS Dental practices have been asked to meet as many prioritised needs as safely possible. They are currently prioritising urgent care, care for vulnerable groups and children, followed by delayed planned care.An additional £50 million in funding for NHS dentistry has been made available for the remainder of the 2021-22 financial year to give more patients that have been unable to obtain an NHS appointment, access to dental care. The available appointments will be targeted first at those most in need of urgent dental treatment, vulnerable groups and children.

Dental Services: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the announcement of £50 million for the provision of additional dental capacity to be used by 31 March 2022, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ring-fencing any unspent funding as a result of the capacity and workforce issues in the dental sector.

Maria Caulfield: The additional £50 million in funding for National Health Service (NHS) dentistry has been made available for the remainder of the financial year. NHS England is unable to carry forward any underspend into the next financial year.NHS regional teams are currently working hard to commission this additional activity and the scheme has been developed to be attractive to dentists, with those involved in the scheme to be paid more than a third on top of their normal sessional fee for delivering this care outside of core hours, such as early morning and weekend work.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of the Coronavirus Yellow Card Reporting Scheme.

Edward Argar: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency routinely promotes the Yellow Card Scheme through social media and has encouraged reporting of the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines through a targeted communication campaign. This includes Google AdWords, website advertising banners and partner support through dedicated areas on websites directing users to the Scheme. Healthcare professionals also are encouraged to report any suspected adverse drug reactions experienced by patients.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of a possible link between covid-19 vaccination and myocarditis in males under 40.

Edward Argar: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has reviewed United Kingdom and international reports of suspected myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccination against COVID-19. There has been higher reporting of these suspected events with mRNA vaccines Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna and occurring more frequently in males. In the UK the evidence shows that for the Pfizer vaccine, there is similar frequency of reporting after the first and second dose, with suspected events typically occurring within a short time after vaccination.These reports have also been analysed by the Government’s independent advisory body, the Commission for Human Medicines and its COVID-19 Vaccines Benefit Risk Expert Working Group. Following their advice, the product information for the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines was updated to include these reports and advise healthcare professionals and patients to be aware of symptoms of myocarditis and pericarditis.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 87683, tabled by the Rt hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne on 6 December 2021 on Sigma Pharmaceuticals.

Edward Argar: I refer the Rt hon. Member to the answer to Question 87683.

PPE Medpro

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2022 to Question 101748 on PPE Medpro: Baroness Mone, whether PPE Medpro was rated as red, amber or green in his Department's financial assessment.

Edward Argar: The Department does not currently hold the information in the format required.

Coronavirus: Screening

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department collects data on the number of PCR test results that are not returned after being sent to laboratories for testing.

Maggie Throup: All polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results are returned to individuals regardless of positive, negative or void result.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people who have been admitted to hospital with covid-19 in the past 12 months had not received a covid-19 vaccine.

Maggie Throup: The information is not held in the format requested. However, between the week ending 2 January 2022 and the week ending 23 January 2022, there were 4,807 cases presenting to emergency care resulting in overnight inpatient admission who had not been vaccinated.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to consult with charities representing clinically vulnerable and immunosuppressed groups as his Department develops its plan for living with covid-19.

Maggie Throup: We continue to work with charities representing people at higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19. Following discussions with charities, we issued updated public health advice on 24 December 2021 which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk People previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable are advised to follow general guidance while considering precautions to reduce the risk of infection. The latest guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

Cancer: West Midlands

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands are awaiting cancer treatment.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Birmingham who have been waiting for over 62 days for cancer treatment.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Coronavirus: Public Health

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the debate that took place at the Council of Europe 24-28 January 2022 on Beating Covid-19 with public health measures.

Edward Argar: The Government has no plans to make such an assessment at this stage. The Government discusses the appropriate response to COVID-19 with a wide range of partners, such as the World Health Organization, G7 and G20 bilaterally, which enables it to draw lessons on the most appropriate policies. The Government will be publishing its plans for living with COVID-19 in due course.The Government recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe and notes that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital: Repairs and Maintenance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of delays to the modernisation of Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on patients; and if he will take steps to help ensure that patient views are taken account of in decisions for that project.

Edward Argar: The Strategic Outline Case (SOC) on the reconfiguration of acute services across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin has not been submitted to the Department as it did not pass the criteria review performed by NHS England and NHS Improvement. Written feedback on the SOC was issued to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust on the 17 November 2021. The SOC is currently with the trust and is being amended. NHS England and NHS Improvement are expecting it to be resubmitted in the first quarter of 2022 and the Department will consider it once it is received. The Department continues to work to ensure that the decision made by the previous Secretary of State in 2019 is implemented.The public, which includes patients, have already been consulted on these reconfigurations, and these consultations took place between May and September 2018.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter of 30 November 2021 from the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys on behalf of a constituent regarding covid-19 vaccinations.

Edward Argar: I replied to the hon. Member on 2 February 2022.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Disclosure of Information

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish any internal guidance available on the use of non-disclosure agreements at his Department.

Michelle Donelan: The department follows the Civil Service policy which states that non-disclosure clauses should only be used when necessary and should not be included in settlement agreements as a matter of course. Non-disclosure agreements should not seek to stifle or discourage staff from raising concerns about wrongdoing or poor practice in the department or to prevent the proper disclosure of matters of public interest, and do not affect the protection provided to employees under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. The department does not use non-disclosure agreements with its employees.

Schools: Standards

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was allocated through the School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering Grant, by (a) local authority, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) region.

Mr Robin Walker: School improvement brokering and monitoring grant (SIMBG) allocations by local authority can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-improvement-monitoring-and-brokering-grant-allocations. As the grant is paid to local authorities, we are not able to provide the data by parliamentary constituency. SIMBG allocations aggregated by Regional School Commissioner regions can be found below:  RSC regionAggregate SIMBG allocations (total)East Midlands and the Humber£4,471,595.00East of England and North East London£4,377,690.00Lancashire and West Yorkshire£8,618,485.00North of England£4,055,269.00North West London and South Central England£7,227,700.00South East England and South London£8,008,536.00South West England£3,718,423.00West Midlands£4,893,887.00

Schools: Standards

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding will be available to local authorities to (a) monitor the performance of its maintained schools, (b) support school improvement activities and (c) intervene in under-performing schools as appropriate after the School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering Grant has ended.

Mr Robin Walker: As per the recently published government response to our consultation on reforming how local authority school improvement functions are funded, in financial year 2023-24, the school improvement monitoring and brokering grant will cease. To allow core school improvement activity to continue, we are allowing local authorities, if they wish, to de-delegate funding from maintained school budgets instead. This will create greater parity between how school improvement is funded in the maintained sector and academies, who already fund this activity from their school budgets.On average, this grant represented the equivalent of 0.3% of maintained school budgets in financial year 2021-22. By way of context, mainstream school budgets will see an average 5.8% year-on-year per pupil cash increase in 2022-23 in England, taking dedicated schools grant allocations together with the schools supplementary grant announced in December 2021.

Schools: Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications to the Coronavirus workforce fund to support schools with costs of staff absences have been (a) accepted and (b) rejected.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will provide a geographical breakdown of applications for the Coronavirus workforce fund to support schools with costs of staff absences by (a) English region and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Mr Robin Walker: The department received claims to the 2020 COVID-19 workforce fund from 974 schools and made payments to 902 schools.All schools that met the conditions set out in the guidance were paid. We are intending to publish school-level data on payments this month. The claims window for the current round of the COVID-19 workforce fund, which covers absences from 22 November 2021 until 18 February 2022, will open in the spring. Data on those payments will be published in due course.

Schools: Construction

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that contracts his Department awards to third parties for the construction of new schools provide that those buildings are (a) safe, (b) high quality and (c) environmentally sustainable.

Mr Robin Walker: The department has procured bespoke frameworks for delivering school building projects. These frameworks, and the contracts they use, are designed to deliver high quality education buildings economically and efficiently, and to ensure the highest standards are met. Contractors undergo a rigorous selection and quality evaluation process before they are admitted to the frameworks and performance is monitored throughout the life of the frameworks.All department delivered projects adopt the department’s regularly updated design and construction standards (Output Specification), which reflect the latest safety, quality and environmental standards. The most recent update, in November 2021, includes multiple safety-related improvements, including new fire safety standards.This new specification is the first to require net zero carbon in operation outcomes as well as a range of climate adaption measures such as green roofs, energy generation and increased biodiversity targets.The department’s centrally delivered schemes are further supported by both internal and external subject matter experts in a wide range of disciplines, including legal, design, technical, cost and quality.Additionally, contractors must also comply with all relevant health and safety legislation during the construction process, and completion requirements include that new school buildings must be signed off as compliant with the building regulations by an independent inspector before they can open.The latest version of the Output Specification can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/school-design-and-construction#output-specification.

Department for Education: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published July 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) encourage and support workplace disability networks, (b) achieve and maintain the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensure responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) develop and embed flexible working.

Michelle Donelan: In the July 2021 National Disability Strategy, we set out our vision of how to improve the everyday lives of disabled people. One element of this was a series of commitments to support disabled civil servants to thrive at work.The department previously launched a disability and neurodivergence action plan in July 2020. This action plan included a focus on supporting staff networks, ensuring equal access to the workplace through workplace adjustments and reviewing the flexible working policy.With regard to the steps taken on the National Disability Strategy commitments:The department has a number of staff networks relating to disability, these include the department’s Disability Group, Neurodivergence Network and the Working through Cancer Network. These networks are run by volunteers with support from HR. Additionally, to encourage inclusive behaviour and change perceptions on disability, volunteers have delivered a department-wide disability and neurodivergence confidence upskilling offer in 2021.The department was awarded Disability Confident Level 3 Accreditation status in June 2021 with positive feedback. The department achieved this by reaching the criteria on challenge, leadership and reporting, and we will maintain it through our work in the disability and neurodivergence action plan and commitments in the National Disability Strategy.HR guidance is available to managers with advice on the responsibility of the line manager and step by step processes for implementing a workplace adjustment. In addition, HR provides access to a specialist team to support line managers and staff in need of more complex adjustments. To ensure we carry on offering responsive and timely support, we are engaging with stakeholders on how to improve the service.The department has consulted on, developed and embedded flexible working options as reasonable adjustments for disabled staff and remains committed to reviewing its practices and offerings on an on-going basis.

Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education: Finance

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of high numbers of student complaints on the financial viability of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education.

Will Quince: The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) is an independent organisation that is funded by subscriptions from higher education providers, who are members of the scheme.The level of subscriptions is set by the OIA board each year and are largely based on student numbers, but also include an element related to the previous case receipts of providers. In 2021, the OIA received 2,763 complaints, which was a 6% increase on 2020 figures.A statement of the OIA’s financial activities can be found in its annual report published on its website: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/media/2633/operating-report-2021.pdf.

Higher Education: Zero-hours Contracts

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made on the potential impact of zero-hours contracts on academic freedom of teaching staff.

Michelle Donelan: Higher education providers are independent and responsible for their own decisions about the terms and conditions of employment they offer. It is essential that they consider the impact of short term and casual contracts on staff, students and the overall sustainability of teaching and research in this country.Recently published figures on the number of academic staff on zero hours contracts is 3,650 staff among a total academic workforce of 224,530, which equates to 1.6%.The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, currently at report stage in the House of Commons, provides a route to redress where an individual may not have clear contractual protections in place in respect of freedom of speech and academic freedom. Rather than having to rely on contractual protections in an employment tribunal, an academic member of staff will now have access to the Office for Students complaints scheme, as well as the right to bring a claim in the courts via the new statutory tort.The bill is clear that the job security of staff should not be undermined by the expression of lawful speech, including where they may question and test received wisdom, and put forward new ideas and controversial or unpopular opinions.

Universities Superannuation Scheme

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department sought legal advice when it agreed to guarantee the pensions of four members of the Universities Superannuation Scheme who were transferred to the Office for Students in 2017.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to reduce the liability of his Department for the Universities Superannuation Scheme after guaranteeing the pensions of four members of the Universities Superannuation Scheme who were transferred to the Office for Students in 2017.

Michelle Donelan: The agreement in 2017 for the department to act as guarantor for the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) followed formal advice from the Government Actuary’s Department, including risk considerations. The government takes legal advice in reaching its decisions where appropriate.The department’s liability in acting as guarantor for the USS was originally valued at £5 million, as recorded in the remote contingent liabilities section of the department’s 2017/18 annual report and accounts. The liability valuation has remained at £5 million for all subsequent years, as shown in the department’s annual reports and accounts: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports.

Ministry of Justice

Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes

Peter Gibson: What steps his Department is taking to support victims of domestic abuse.

Victoria Atkins: We are building on the landmark Domestic Abuse Act to improve victims services, to ensure that victims can secure justice in our courts and to pursue perpetrators ruthlessly.Victim support funding is rising to £185 million by 2024/25, including increasing the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Abuse Advisors to more than 1000 and we are extending the time limit for prosecuting domestic abuse-related common assaults to help victims secure justice.The government’s focus on this most hidden and pernicious of crimes will continue with the publication of our Domestic Abuse Strategy in the coming months.

Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support victims of domestic abuse.

Victoria Atkins: We are building on the landmark Domestic Abuse Act to improve victims services, to ensure that victims can secure justice in our courts and to pursue perpetrators ruthlessly.Victim support funding is rising to £185 million by 2024/25, including increasing the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Abuse Advisors to more than 1000 and we are extending the time limit for prosecuting domestic abuse-related common assaults to help victims secure justice.The government’s focus on this most hidden and pernicious of crimes will continue with the publication of our Domestic Abuse Strategy in the coming months.

Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support victims of domestic abuse.

Victoria Atkins: We are building on the landmark Domestic Abuse Act to improve victims services, to ensure that victims can secure justice in our courts and to pursue perpetrators ruthlessly.Victim support funding is rising to £185 million by 2024/25, including increasing the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Abuse Advisors to more than 1000 and we are extending the time limit for prosecuting domestic abuse-related common assaults to help victims secure justice.The government’s focus on this most hidden and pernicious of crimes will continue with the publication of our Domestic Abuse Strategy in the coming months.

Administration of Justice: Crimes of Violence

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure justice sector staff are protected from abuse and assaults at work.

James Cartlidge: The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 doubled the maximum penalty for those who assault emergency workers, including prison officers and custody officers, from 6 to 12 months’ imprisonment for common assault or battery, with higher maximum penalties for serious offences.Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, we are again doubling the maximum penalty for the assault of an emergency worker, from 12 months’ to two years’ imprisonment.The bill will also create a new statutory aggravating factor for offences committed against those staff providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public.

Legal Aid Scheme: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support his Department is providing to legal aid firms affected by financial losses following court backlogs during the covid-19 outbreak.

James Cartlidge: The Government introduced several measures to support legal aid firms. These included introducing hardship measures, specifically reducing the threshold for work done in Crown Court cases from £5000 to £450; halting the pursuit of debts to the Legal Aid Agency; and encouraging firms to access financial support via the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme.The Legal Aid Agency has already made some changes permanent which originated during the COVID-19 outbreak and continues to keep under review others which are still in place.

Ministry of Justice: Veterans

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many armed forces veterans have been employed by the civil service in his Department in each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice has employed 4655 Armed Forces veterans since 2017, the point at which data on their recruitment is first available. The annual breakdown of recruits since 2010 is:YearNumber of Armed Forces veterans by year the offer was accepted2010Not available2011Not available2012Not available2013Not available2014Not available2015Not available2016Not available201781020181286201985720207272021975 Information prior to 2017 is unavailable for reporting purposes due to a change in applicant tracking system in late 2016 where previous recruitment data was not retained.

Victim Support Schemes

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support victims within the criminal justice system.

Tom Pursglove: The recently completed Victims’ Bill consultation is a critical step towards introducing a Victims’ Law – part of our plan for doing better by victims, from the moment a crime is committed through to cases being heard in court.In particular, we have consulted on requirements for prosecutors to meet with victims pre-charge and pre-trial, the use of community impact statements, improving accountability of criminal justice agencies, increasing the Victim Surcharge and wider support for victims.Victim support services are crucial to helping victims remain engaged in the criminal justice process. The Department has provided £150.5 million to victim support services this financial year, with funding increasing to £185 million by 2024/25. Hence, this Government has trebled the amount of funding for victims compared to pre-2010 levels.This will enable us to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) we fund to over 1,000, alongside other key services including a 24/7 support service for victims of sexual violence.

Community Service Orders and Probation: Veterans

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many female veterans are subject to (a) community based court orders and (b) probation supervision.

Victoria Atkins: As of 30 September 2021, the number of female veterans1 subject to community based court orders2 and probation supervision was as follows: Sentence typeTotal All court orders211All probation supervision151. Veteran status can include individuals who have served in foreign Armed Forces as well as UK Armed Service Personnel and those who were in the Territorial Army/reserve.2. Court orders includes all community sentences, deferred sentences and suspended sentence orders with requirements.  There is anecdotal evidence that some offenders may be reluctant to disclose having served in the Armed Forces. Note that we rely on them self-declaring previous military service, either here or abroad, for our data.

Offenders: Employment

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on supporting offenders into employment following their release from prison.

Kit Malthouse: We are delivering on our commitments in the recent Prisons Strategy White Paper to improve employment outcomes for prison leavers:Creating a presumption in favour of enabling vetted and appropriate inmates, and offenders released on licence, to take up work opportunities;Introducing new Resettlement Passports, bringing together all of the essentials that prison leavers need to lead crime-free lives on release into one place, such as ID that demonstrates a prisoner’s right to work and a bank account;Putting a dedicated Employment Advisor in every resettlement prison;Developing a digital candidate matching system to match prisoners to roles on release;Establishing Employment Hubs, a ‘job-centre in a prison’ where prisoners can get support and find opportunities;Establishing Employment Boards, which link prisons with local business networks to provide advice and challenge so that prisons deliver the skills that employers need.

Reoffenders

Jane Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on reducing rates of reoffending.

Kit Malthouse: This Government is committed to reducing crime and protecting the public by tackling reoffending. Over the last 10 years, there has been a broad decline in overall reoffending rates. We will invest £200 million a year by 2024-25 to further reduce reoffending and cut crime.We will improve prison leaver’s access to accommodation by providing temporary accommodation for prison leavers through our new Community Accommodation Service.Our Prisoner Education Service will focus on improving numeracy, literacy and the qualifications that increase prisoners’ prospects of finding work on their release. There are now 23 Employment Hubs, ‘job-centres in a prison’, that are directly supporting prisoners into jobs on release.We will also introduce new personalised Resettlement Passports, bringing together the key information and services that an individual needs to resettle into society.Our reforms to the Probation Service, supported by additional annual funding of £155 million, will help reduce reoffending through robust supervision, tougher community sentences, improved local partnership working and delivery of rehabilitative services.

Administration of Justice: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of routinely publishing disaggregated justice data for Wales.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice agrees that there is merit in disaggregating and publishing data for Wales. We already publish data that includes tools to allow users to disaggregate for Wales and other parts of the UK and we are looking at whether there are further data sets that could usefully be disaggregated. Material is published by the MoJ in line with the code of practice for statistics. Many of our outputs are accredited as National Statistics, which means they meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value.

Prison Sentences: Veterans

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many female veterans are serving custodial sentences.

Victoria Atkins: As of 30 June 2021, there were 13 females serving a custodial sentence in England and Wales who had declared former military service. Information on previous service does not distinguish between those who have served in the British Armed Forces or those of another nation. Those who choose to declare previous service may be referring to time spent with the UK forces or with those of another country.

Closed Material Procedures

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the statutory review of closed material procedure in the Justice and Security Act 2013, which was due in 2018, was delayed until 2021.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the Government's submissions to Sir Duncan Ouseley's statutory review of closed material procedure under the Justice and Security Act 2013.

James Cartlidge: Mindful of the statutory nature of this review, Ministry of Justice officials have been, since 2018, in discussion with counterparts in those departments that lead on national security matters to establish arrangements for the review. These discussions only came to a conclusion in late Autumn 2020. The establishment of the review was then announced by the previous Lord Chancellor on 25 February 2021. The reviewer has concluded the examination of the submissions received during the call for evidence (which ran from 7 April to 30 June 2021), and he is now approaching the conclusion of the review. It is estimated that the reviewer’s report, subject to any redactions required on national security grounds (in accordance with section 13(6) of the Justice and Security Act 2013), should be laid before Parliament early this year. As indicated at the time of the call for evidence, a summary of the responses to the call for evidence will be included as an annex to the reviewer’s report.

Judges: Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases UK judges served on for the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021; and what proportion of those cases related to (i) criminal, (ii) civil and (iii) commercial offences.

James Cartlidge: The two serving Supreme Court judges who sit in the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal heard cases as follows: 2019: Lord Reed heard two criminal cases in September.2020: No serving UK Supreme Court judges heard any cases.2021: Lord Reed heard two criminal cases (he sat remotely from 31 August to 3 September). Lord Hodge heard two criminal cases (he sat in Hong Kong between 23 and 26 November 2021).

Ministry of Justice: Veterans

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many veterans applied to his Department using the civil service great place to work scheme over the nine month pilot; and how many of those applicants (a) received an interview, (b) were offered a job and (c) went on to accept a role and begin work.

James Cartlidge: During the pilot of the Great Place to Work for Veterans scheme the department received: Number of applicants Applicants to the scheme926 (a) received an interview276 (b) were offered a job113 (c) went on to accept a role50 (d) began work with the Ministry of JusticeNot AvailableThe pilot demonstrated that the initiative was successful in providing greater opportunities to veterans to pursue a career in the Civil Service and will now be rolled out across all Departments. This is one of a number of schemes to support veterans into public sector employment, including specific plans to get more veterans into teaching, the prison service and uniformed services.

Members: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's average response time was to an enquiry from a hon. Member to the MP (a) hotline and (b) account management team in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

James Cartlidge: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, either directly or on behalf of their constituents.The Ministry of Justice does not have a MP hotline.The Ministry of Justice does not have an account management team, and the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the average response time to enquiries from MPs, as correspondence performance is monitored by the percentage of correspondence responded to within the target response time set by the Department.Data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers for 2019 and 2020 is published on Gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers.Data for 2021 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

Department for International Trade

UK Export Finance: Complaints

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many complaints her Department received regarding UK Export Finance in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Freer: The table below shows the number of complaints received regarding UK Export Finance (UKEF) in the past three calendar years. YearComplaints2019282020432021132022 to date5

UK Tradeshow Programme: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many applications the UK Tradeshow Programme has received for funds to support (a) exhibitors and (b) attendees since its launch; and if she will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the annual budget is for support available to (a) exhibitors and (b) attendees to the UK Tradeshow Programme; and if she will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of (a) exhibitor and (b) attendee applications for financial support to the UK Tradeshow Programme have been refused since that programme's launch; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Freer: Following the launch of the Exhibit element of the UK Tradeshow Programme (UKTP) on 30th November 2021, it has been allocated a budget of £1.5m for the period up to the end of March 2022. The budget for 22/23 has not yet been finalised. The Attendee element was launched on 20th January 2022. As of 31st January, 12 applications have been received – 8 from exhibitors and 4 for attendees. Across UKTP, 3 applicants (25%) have been approved for support, 1 (8%) was refused after the application panel review and 5 (42%) failed to meet the base criteria. 3 (25%) applications for support remain under review.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2022 to Question 100568 on Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates and with reference to the Written Statement of 8 December 2021, HCWS449 on Trade Policy Update, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of those changes on numbers of standard individual export licences to (a) Saudi Arabia and (b) United Arab Emirates.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2022 to Question 100568 on Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, what estimate she has made of the potential change in the monetary value of arms exports to (a) Saudi Arabia and (b) United Arab Emirates as a result of recent changes to the arms export system.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2022 to Question 100568 on Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, whether she expects to issue more standard individual exports licences as a result of recent changes to the arms export system.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: It is not possible to predict the future number or value of applications for particular countries, as this is determined by industry submitting export licence applications, which will then be assessed on a case-by-case basis against our robust Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s policies on arms exports to Saudi Arabia following recent attacks on (a) civilians and (b) civilian infrastructure by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: HM Government is satisfied that the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria announced in a Written Statement on 8th December 2021 (HCWS449) continue to provide a thorough risk assessment framework for assessing all export licence applications.

Arms Trade: Kazakhstan

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many export licences for military goods for export to Kazakhstan her Department has granted; and if she will provide details of the items approved for export.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: HM Government publishes Official Statistics (on a quarterly and annual basis) on export licences granted, refused and revoked to all destinations on GOV.UK containing detailed information including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. The most recent publication was on 12th October 2021, covering the period 1st April – 30th June 2021. Information covering 1st July – 30th September 2021 will be published later this month and information covering 1st October 2020 – 31st December 2020 will be published in April.

Arms Trade: Export Controls

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 113130 on Arms Trade: Export Controls, if she will publish a copy of the impact assessment her Department carried out on the changes to the Military end-use control, with national security sensitive and commercially sensitive information redacted; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: We have no plans to publish this internal assessment.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Myanmar: Internally Displaced People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans she has to provide humanitarian assistance to internally displaced peoples along Myanmar’s borders.

Amanda Milling: We strongly condemn the military coup and the violence against the people of Myanmar. The coup has plunged the country into a deep political, economic and humanitarian crisis. Over 14 million people are in humanitarian need, mass displacement is increasing, democratic gains have been reversed, and violence is escalating across the country. Since the coup, the UK has spent over £24m supporting humanitarian assistance on the borders with Bangladesh, China, India and Thailand.We will continue working with partners to call for an end to violence, unhindered humanitarian access, and the importance of respect for human rights and the protection of civilians. The UK also continues to support ASEAN's leadership on the crisis and calls for the full implementation of the Five Point Consensus.The UK secured a UN Security Council press statement on 3 February which called for a cessation of violence, full and unhindered humanitarian access and the protection of minorities. I [Minister Milling] laid a Written Ministerial Statement in this House on 1 February to update on the UK's response to the political and humanitarian situation in Myanmar.

Israel: Palestinians

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what reports she has received of the (a) number and (b) change in number of Palestinian children held in solitary confinement in Israeli military detention in the most recent period for which information is available; and if she will she seek assurances from the Israeli authorities that they will end the practice.

James Cleverly: We do not collect this information. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv has a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children.

Tibet: Boarding Schools

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Chinese Government on Chinese boarding schools in Tibet.

Amanda Milling: We have serious concerns about the situation in Tibet, including reports that Tibetan parents are being coerced into sending their children to residential schools. We continue to urge China to respect all fundamental rights across the People's Republic of China, including in Tibet, in line with both its own constitution and the international frameworks to which it is a party. In June 2021, the UK and 43 other countries joined a statement at the UN Human Rights Council expressing deep concern about the human rights situation in Tibet, and calling on the Chinese authorities to abide by their human rights obligations.

Olympic Games: China

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has provided guidance to sporting representatives of Great Britain participating in the Beijing 2022 Winter Games on the exercise of fundamental human rights in that country.

Amanda Milling: We have provided specific advice to the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations, including in respect of security, Chinese law and society, to ensure Team GB and Paralympics GB are as well prepared as possible for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing. We wish our athletes every success and they will continue to have our full support throughout the games. Officials in Beijing stand ready to provide consular assistance if needed.

Peng Shuai

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations officials in her Department have made to their Chinese counterparts on the (a) whereabouts and (b) health of professional tennis player Peng Shui.

Amanda Milling: The Government has called on the Chinese authorities to assure the safety of Peng Shuai and we continue to follow her case closely. We have also raised the issue with the Chinese Ambassador in London, and the authorities in Beijing.Everyone should be allowed to speak out without fear of repercussions. All reports of sexual assault, anywhere in the world, should be investigated.

Tibet: Boarding Schools

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Chinese Government to help ensure the preservation of Tibetan language and culture in Chinese-run boarding schools in Tibet.

Amanda Milling: We have serious concerns about the situation in Tibet, including reports that Tibetan parents are being coerced into sending their children to residential schools. We continue to urge China to respect all fundamental rights across the People's Republic of China, including in Tibet, in line with both its own constitution and the international frameworks to which it is a party. In June 2021, the UK and 43 other countries joined a statement at the UN Human Rights Council expressing deep concern about the human rights situation in Tibet, and calling on the Chinese authorities to abide by their human rights obligations.

Myanmar: Politics and Government

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the political and humanitarian situation in Myanmar, including reports of continued shelling and bombardment of ethnic minorities in Myanmar by the Myanmar military; and if she will make a statement.

Amanda Milling: The coup has plunged the country into a deep political, economic and humanitarian crisis. Over 14 million people are in humanitarian need, mass displacement is increasing, democratic gains have been reversed, and violence is escalating across the country.The UK Government condemns any attacks against religious minorities in Myanmar. We also strongly condemn the military coup and the violence against the people of Myanmar. We will continue working with partners to call for an end to violence, unhindered humanitarian access, and the importance of respect for human rights and the protection of civilians. The UK also continues to support ASEAN's leadership on the crisis and calls for the full implementation of the Five Point Consensus.The UK marked the 1 February one-year anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar by coordinating a private meeting of the UN Security Council, where briefings were provided by ASEAN Special Envoy Sokhonn Prak, UN Special Envoy, Noeleen Heyzer, and OCHA Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ramesh Rajasingham. We secured a Security Council press statement on 3 February which called for a cessation of violence, full and unhindered humanitarian access and the protection of minorities. The UK also coordinated a Foreign Minister level joint statement with like-minded countries, condemning serious human rights violations by the military. I laid a Written Ministerial Statement in this House on 1 February to update on the UK's response to the political and humanitarian situation in Myanmar.

Xinjiang: Genocide

Ms Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2022 to Question 112594 on Xinjiang: Genocide, whether staff in her Department have been tasked with producing a risk assessment of the Xinjiang region in line with that debate's motion agreed by the House.

Amanda Milling: As set out in our response to question 112594, the FCDO continues to monitor the human rights situation in Xinjiang closely. The available evidence is used to inform FCDO and broader HMG policy in relation to Xinjiang, and to underpin our robust diplomatic action and domestic policy response. However, it remains the long-standing policy of the British Government not to make determinations in relation to genocide. We keep judgments of competent tribunals and courts on genocide under close review.

Xinjiang: Genocide

Ms Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2022 to Question 112594 on Xinjiang: Genocide, whether her Department has seen and examined the evidence used by the (a) American Government, (b) Canadian Parliament, (c) Lithuanian Parliament and (d) Dutch Parliament to declare that genocide is taking place in Xinjiang.

Amanda Milling: The FCDO continues to monitor the situation in Xinjiang closely. This includes regular discussion and sharing of analysis with our international partners, in addition to our own monitoring of open source research, extensive commissioning and funding of research from relevant international experts, and diplomatic reporting from our Embassy in Beijing and the wider FCDO network. This evidence and analysis underpins our robust diplomatic action and domestic policy response.

Xinjiang: Genocide

Ms Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2022 to Question 112594 on Xinjiang: Genocide, whether the Government has taken steps to begin producing a risk assessment of the Xinjiang region in line with that debate's motion agreed by the House.

Amanda Milling: As set out in our response to question 112594, the FCDO continues to monitor the human rights situation in Xinjiang closely. The available evidence is used to inform FCDO and broader HMG policy in relation to Xinjiang, and to underpin our robust diplomatic action and domestic policy response. However, it remains the long-standing policy of the British Government not to make determinations in relation to genocide. We keep judgments of competent tribunals and courts on genocide under close review.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether vaccines unused by British citizens are being used towards the UK's aid budget.

Amanda Milling: We are waiting for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to issue guidelines on the specific reporting of vaccine donations. We are actively engaging in the discussions at the Development Assistant Committee (DAC) on the proposals for valuing Covid-19 vaccines in Official Development Assistance (ODA). It is important that DAC members take a consistent approach to the donation of these life-saving vaccines to the greatest degree possible and we welcome the DAC Secretariat's efforts to reach consensus.

Amal Nakhleh

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make representations to the Israeli authorities for the immediately release 18 year old Amal Nakhleh from Israeli administrative detention without charge or trial lasting more than one year.

James Cleverly: We are aware of Amal Nakhleh's case. Officials from the British Embassy Tel Aviv raised Amal Nakhleh's case with the Israeli Ministry of Justice on 27 January. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees.

Israel: Palestinians

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will seek assurances from her Israeli counterpart that the Government of Israel (a) opposes the detention of Palestinian children under the age of twelve and (b) will hold Israeli soldiers to account for incidents where they have been found to have forcibly detained children under that age.

James Cleverly: We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention and continue to raise this with the Israeli Ministry of Justice.

Australia: Visits Abroad

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason a decision was made to fund from the public purse her travel on a private jet to Australia on the 20 January 2022; and if she will make a statement.

James Cleverly: Foreign travel is vital part of diplomacy. The work that ministers do overseas ultimately delivers for the British people. We have three government planes for Government business. They are used by the Prime Minister and Ministers for precisely this purpose. This is standard practice and in the national interest.In accordance with the Ministerial Code, the FCDO publishes the costs related to all overseas Ministerial travel as part of the regular Cabinet Office Transparency Return https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/minister-data#2020.

Union of Agricultural Work Committees: Expenditure

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much financial support the Government has provided to the Palestinian NGO Union of Agricultural Work Committees (a) directly and (b) via second and third-party vendors over the last five years.

James Cleverly: The UK has not provided funding to the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in the past five years.

Australia: Visits Abroad

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish the total cost of all air travel during her visit to Australia between 18 and 23 January 2022, including internal flights within that country.

James Cleverly: In accordance with the Ministerial Code, the FCDO publishes the costs related to all overseas Ministerial travel as part of the regular Cabinet Office Transparency Return https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/minister-data#2020.

Armenia: Politics and Government

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate on The functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia, that took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe meeting on 27 January 2022.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The UK Government will continue to champion and encourage the strengthening of democratic institutions in Armenia. We recognise the crucial work in this area of the Council of Europe and in particular Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, noting that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review. During his phone call with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan on 1 February, I [Minister for Europe] reaffirmed HMG's support for the programme of democratic reform that Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan is undertaking.

Ministry of Defence

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date the Royal Navy plans to take command of operations to tackle migrant crossings in the Channel.

James Heappey: Detailed plans for operation ISOTROPE are under development and further information will be made available to the House in due course.

Veterans: Violent and Sex Offender Register

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving personnel are on the Sex Offender Register; and what the offending behaviour of each of those personnel was.

Leo Docherty: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made it absolutely clear there is no place for unacceptable behaviour in the Armed Forces. We recognise the great courage it takes to come forward and report a sexual offence, and Commanding Officers must always refer any allegation of rape and sexual assault, or any other offence which may have a sexual element, to the Service Police. All allegations are thoroughly investigated, and support provided to victims. Anyone found to fall short of the Services' high standards or to have committed an offence is dealt with appropriately, which may include imprisonment and dismissal from service. Any Service personnel convicted of a sexual offence and subject to any notification requirements as set out in Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act (SOA) 2003 (more widely recognised as the Sex Offenders Register) will be discharged in all but exceptional circumstances.The Service Justice System complies with all elements of the notification requirements in accordance with the SOA 03, for all personnel that have been convicted of any schedule 3 offence within the SOA 03. However, the information requested on the numbers of people who continue to serve and the nature of their offences is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The MOD regularly publishes Court Martial results:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/court-martial-results-from-the-military-court-centres, and annual statistics on sexual offending contrary to SOA 2003 and historic sexual offences dealt with wholly within the Service Justice System:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sexual-offences-in-the-service-justice-system

Israel: Armed Forces

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK military personnel are in Israel as of 31 January 2022; where those personnel are based; and what training they offer to Israeli forces.

James Heappey: As of 31 January 2022, the UK have four military personnel in Israel. They are all based in the British Embassy in Tel Aviv. They carry out key activities in Defence Engagement and Diplomacy, as well as carrying out key administrative processes. The personnel do not provide training, but help facilitate opportunities between the two countries. Periodically additional UK personnel visit Israel for training, exercises and engagement purposes.

Israel: Armed Forces

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Israeli military personnel have been trained in the UK in the last three years.

James Heappey: In the last three years, eight Israeli military personnel have attended courses in the UK. These courses include a course at the Royal College of Defence Studies, the Ordinance Design course, the Amphibious warfare course, and a medical course at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

Israel: Military Alliances

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish (a) a summary of and (b) the full defence cooperation agreement signed with Israel in 2020.

James Heappey: In December 2020, the UK and Israel signed a joint agreement to strengthen the defence relationship between the two nations. The agreement is an important piece of defence diplomacy that formalises and deepens cooperation. Both the UK and Israel share a commitment to improving and integrating capabilities in maritime, land, air, space, and cyber and electromagnetic domains. The cooperation includes defence medical training, organisational design and concepts, and defence education. The Ministry of Defence is not publishing the agreement for national security reasons.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the recent upgrades to the military bases on Akrotiri and Dhekelia have performed effectively; and whether further works are planned on military bases on the overseas territory.

James Heappey: We continue to invest in our capabilities and infrastructure on our military bases in Cyprus. In particular a seismic mitigation programme of works is planned, and this will see a blend of new infrastructure and refurbishment of living and technical accommodation in all military stations in Cyprus.

Military Corrective Training Centre Colchester

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many female service personnel have served sentences at the Military Correctional Training Centre in Colchester in each of the last five years.

Leo Docherty: The number of female Service personnel that have served sentences at the Military Corrective Training Centre, Colchester in each of the last five years is: 20172018201920202021Total5872224

Sudan: Military Aid

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK armed forces are providing (a) training and (b) advice to (i) Sudanese security services, (ii) Sudanese armed forces or (iii) Sudan’s rapid support force; and how his Department plans to measure the outcome of support provided by UK armed forces to that country.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence is not providing any training or advice to the Sudanese security services, the Sudanese Armed Forces, or Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.

Cameroon: Military Aid

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) impact of training provided by UK armed forces to the Cameroon Battalion d’Intervention Rapide (BIR) in the context of allegations from human rights groups of involvement of the BIR in human rights abuses against civilians in Anglophone regions of Cameroon.

James Heappey: The UK military team providing capacity building for the Battalion d'Intervention Rapide (BIR) regularly assess the effectiveness of the training provided. Their assessment is that the BIR is a credible and effective partner force, having a positive effect on containing the spread of violent extremism in the Lake Chad Basin. A Conflict, Stability and Security Fund team visited Cameroon in November 2021 to evaluate the effectiveness of the military assistance provided to the BIR and they concluded that the training provided is effective. The evaluation team also noted allegations concerning past BIR misconduct, most recently dated from 2017 and 2018, and that no evaluators, including human rights observers and Cameroonian civilians, could identify or confirm any recent allegations involving BIR units or personnel trained by the UK.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which UK-supplied weapons have been used by Saudi Arabian and UAE aircraft in the war in Yemen in the last year.

James Heappey: The UK has licensed the export of a variety of military equipment to Saudi Arabia. Details are available in the official statistics published by the Department for International Trade on:www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-dataWe do not have a full picture of which specific items have been used in Yemen.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of actions taken by Saudi Arabian and UAE forces in the war in Yemen with international law.

James Heappey: As the then Secretary of State for International Trade set out in her written statement of 7 July 2020, as part of the UK's robust export licencing procedure, the Government analyses allegations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) breaches in Yemen that are assessed as likely to have occurred, by reference to the relevant principles of IHL and in light of all the information available. An evaluation is then made, in respect of each incident, of whether it is possible that it constitutes a breach of IHL, or whether it is unlikely that it represents a breach (or where there is insufficient information to make this evaluation).

Yemen: Military Intervention

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Air Force personnel are present in Saudi air operations centres involved in the war in Yemen as of 31 January 2022; and what rank those personnel are.

James Heappey: We have a very small number of liaison officers based in the Saudi Air Operations Centre. They come under UK command and control and observe Saudi-led coalition air operations in Yemen to help the UK support Saudi compliance with International Humanitarian Law.

Saudi Arabia: Bombs

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether (a) RAF and (b) BAE Systems staff are employed in Saudi Arabia to support the storage and issue of bombs for use by the Royal Saudi Air Force.

James Heappey: RAF Service personnel within The Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) operate under long-standing government-to-government arrangements, to provide advice, assurance, and assistance to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF). These activities do not include the direct involvement of RAF personnel with the storage and issue of munitions, including bombs. Similarly we understand that BAE Systems employees are not involved in supporting the RSAF's storage and issue of munitions.

Saudi Arabia: Military Aircraft

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) RAF and (b) BAE Systems personnel are working in Saudi Arabia to help maintain that country's military aircraft as of 31 January 2022.

James Heappey: As at 31 Jan 2022 there are currently 19 RAF personnel in Saudi Arabia providing routine engineering support to the Royal Saudi Air Force's Tornado and Typhoon fleets. MOD does not hold specific information on the number of BAE Systems personnel employed in Saudi Arabia in aircraft maintenance roles. However, information is provided in the company's annual report.

Kyrylo Dubrovskyi

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) if Ukrainian army cadet Kyrylo Dubrovskyi attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) in 2020 and (b) what assessment was made of his association with Ukraine's Centuria group.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence is required to safeguard personal information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Therefore, it is unable to confirm or deny whether any specific individual attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2020.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance: Leeds Central

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people in the Leeds Central constituency who have been affected by the underpayment of benefits after transitioning from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance.

Chloe Smith: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Self-employed

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2022 to Question 113112 on Employment, what assessment her Department has made of the geographical distribution of the 815,000 self-employed people who are no longer in paid work when compared to the beginning of the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: The Answer of 1 February 2022 to Question 113112 included an estimate for the net change in self-employment since the start of Covid-19 (based on responses to the Labour Force Survey). This estimate does not necessarily represent people no-longer in paid work, as some may have become employees. The estimate cannot be broken-down geographically due to the sample size of the Labour Force Survey.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will take steps with the Treasury to uprate benefits in line with inflation.

David Rutley: The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation in the year to September.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2022 to Question 113818 on Social Security Benefits: Disqualification, on what date the decision was made to withhold publication of the research; who was involved in making that decision; and if she will place copies of relevant minutes of Departmental meetings where that decision was discussed in the Library.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2022 to Question 113818, whether the research found evidence that people affected by sanctions became destitute.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2022 to Question 113818 on Social Security Benefits: Disqualification, whether her Department has commissioned further research into benefit sanctions.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2022 to Question 113818 on Social Security Benefits: Disqualification, what the evidential basis is on the effectiveness of sanctions to support her Department's renewed sanctions regime through the Way to Work campaign.

David Rutley: The decision not to publish the sanctions evaluation report was made on 15 October 2020 as part of routine departmental business, which is not required to be minuted. The 2019 sanctions evaluation used UC administrative data to look at the impact a sanction has on an individual’s likelihood of entering work and on their earnings once they are in work. It was not an assessment of poverty levels. Currently we have no plans to undertake further research on this aspect of sanctions. Way to Work is a drive to support 500,000 people into work swiftly. As part of this campaign we are changing the period in which a claimant can limit their job search to their usual occupation to promote wider employment opportunities, supporting people into work more quickly. We know the longer a person is out of work, the harder it is for them to get back into work. Claimants on work-related benefits are generally expected to undertake certain activities which help them to prepare for, look for and move into work. We have strong UK-specific evidence through Randomised Control Trials and from a broad body of international studies that benefit systems supported by conditionality are effective at moving people into work. Sanction on UC remain low at 0.78%.

Universal Credit: Private Rented Housing

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data her Department holds on the number of households in the private rented sector in receipt of universal credit with the housing element in payment; how many and what proportion of those households have rents which exceed the local housing allowance (LHA); and what the median average gap is for those households between the rent and the LHA, for each broad rental market area in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales for the most recent period for which data are available.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in the private rented sector are in receipt of housing benefit in payment; how many of those households have rents which exceed the local housing allowance rate (LHA); what the median average gap is between the rent and the LHA rate, for each broad rental market area in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales, for the most recent period for which data is available.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in receipt of universal credit there are in the private rented sector with the housing element in payment where one or more members has limited capability for work or for work-related activity; how many of those households have rents which exceed the local housing allowance rate and what the median gap is between the rent and the LHA in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales, for the most recent period for which data is available.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households are in receipt of local housing allowance in payment; how many of those households have rents which exceed the local housing allowance; and what the median gap is between the rent and the LHA for those households also in receipt of (a) income support, (b) income-related employment support allowance and (c) income-related jobseeker’s allowance in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales, for the most recent period for which data is available.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in receipt of universal credit there are in the private rented sector with the housing element in payment; how many of those households have rents which exceed the local housing allowance rate; and of the latter households, what the median gap is between the rent and the LHA broken down by the number of children in the household in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales, for the most recent period for which data is available.

David Rutley: The requested information is in the following attachment. In April 2020 we increased Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local rents, costing nearly £1 billion and providing 1.5 million claimants with around £600 more housing support in 2020/21 than they would otherwise have received. Local Housing Allowance rates have been maintained at their increased levels in 2021/22 and will remain at those levels for 2022/23. Median differences between rent and Local Housing Allowance in different broad rental market areas, reflect variation in rental markets. The Government is providing £12 billion of support to ease cost of living pressures, with help targeted at working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable. A further£9 billion has been announced to protect against the impact of rising global energy prices.Attachment  (xlsx, 37.4KB)

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to raise the benefits cap in light of the predicated rise in the rate of inflation.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to raise the benefit cap in line with the rate of increase of other benefits.

David Rutley: There is a statutory duty for the Secretary of State to review the benefit cap levels once in each Parliament. The review will happen at the appropriate time, as determined by the Secretary of State.

Universal Credit

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for his policies of analysis by Citizen's Advice that on average a single adult claiming the basic rate of universal credit will be spend 33 per cent of their standard allowance on energy bills following the estimated energy price cap increase; and if her Department will take steps to assist those claimants.

David Rutley: The Government is providing £12 billion of support to ease cost of living pressures, with help targeted at working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable. A further £9 billion has been announced to protect against the impact of rising global energy prices.

Universal Credit: Private Rented Housing

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims for which the local housing allowance did not cover rent were subject to deductions for any combination of (a) universal credit advances, (b) universal credit overpayments and (c) tax credit overpayments in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the median (a) gap between rent and the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) and (b) deduction for universal credit claims in the private rented sector for which LHA does not cover the rent and which are subject to deductions for any combination of (i) universal credit advances, (ii) universal credit overpayments and (iii) tax credit overpayments in the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Rutley: In the private rental sector, Local Housing Allowance determines the maximum financial support available for renters. In April 2020, we increased Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local rents at a cost of nearly £1 billion, providing 1.5 million claimants with around £600 more housing support in 20/21 than they would otherwise have received. Local Housing Allowance rates have been maintained at their increased levels in 2021/22 and will remain at those levels for 2022/23. Median differences between rent and LHA in different broad rental market areas reflect variation in rental markets. The Government is providing £12 billion of support to ease cost of living pressures, with help targeted at working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable. A further £9 billion has been announced to protect against the impact of rising global energy prices. For those who require additional housing support, Discretionary Housing Payments are available. Since 2011, the Government has provided almost £1.5 billion in Discretionary Housing Payments to Local Authorities. The information requested is provided in the table below. Table 1  Claims where the Local Housing Allowance is lower than rent (housing shortfall) by selected combinations of deductions they are subject to, August 2021  Deduction typeNumber of claims% of all claimsMonthly median housing shortfallMonthly median deduction for the selected combination of deductions  Advance and UC overpayment26,000 £100£85  Advance and Tax Credit overpayment45,000 £90£89  UC overpayment and Tax Credit overpayment21,000 £100£62  Advance, UC overpayment and Tax Credit overpayment9,000 £95£97   Notes:1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percent.2) The Universal Credit Overpayments and Tax Credit Overpayments figures do not include deductions due to fraud.3) Only claims with private rent and housing entitlement have been included when identifying those claims where the Local Housing Allowance did not cover rent.4) Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.5) Latest figures provided for August 2021 in line with published statistics on Universal Credit Households Statistics.6) Figures are for Great Britain.

Pension Funds

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking following COP26 to help ensure that pension funds contribute to delivering net zero.

Guy Opperman: Building on our existing climate governance and disclosure requirements, the Department consulted (from 21 October 2021 to 6 Jan 2022) on measures requiring schemes to set out how their investments are aligned with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global average temperature increases to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels. We have also consulted on guidance for trustees to strengthen stewardship and voting practices which will be key to ensuring high-carbon assets transition to net zero.We are also working across government to develop a Sustainability Disclosure Requirements regime which will create a framework for the disclosure of pension scheme’s net zero transition plans and will also help tackle ‘greenwashing’.

Department for Work and Pensions: Risk Assessment

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has undertaken an assessment or consideration of its duties under the Equalities Act 2010 in relation to the Risk Review Team.

David Rutley: No demographic data or protected characteristics are used to determine if a case is referred to the Risk Review Team, therefore no Equality Assessment was required.

Workplace Pensions: Stockton South

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been auto-enrolled in workplace pensions in Stockton South constituency since 2012.

Guy Opperman: Since 2012, 8,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension and 1,460 employers have declared compliance. This data is published by The Pensions Regulator each month:  https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

State Retirement Pensions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of making the state pension accessible to people whose life expectancy is reduced as a result of illness.

Guy Opperman: There has been no recent assessment.

Workplace Pensions: Crewe and Nantwich

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been auto-enrolled in workplace pensions in Crewe and Nantwich constituency since 2012.

Guy Opperman: Since 2012, 13,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension and 1,720 employers have declared compliance in the Crewe and Nantwich constituency. This data is published by The Pensions Regulator each month:  https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

Employment Schemes

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Plan For Jobs in supporting people into work.

Mims Davies: Throughout the pandemic the UK Government has provided historic levels of support to the economy – a total of over £400 billion. This includes key DWP Plan for Jobs programmes such as Restart and Kickstart alongside other measures to boost work searches, skills and apprenticeships. In addition, the Government supported people to remain in work through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.Plan for Jobs has:Helped over 130,000 young people have started Kickstart placements.We have over 160 Youth Hubs across Great Britain to support young people.Over 127,000 Sector-based Work Academy Programmes have been started.Restart is helping to support claimants who have been out of work for longer periods.Job Finding Support provided new one-to-one online support to the recently unemployed.Job Entry Targeted Support helped provide applicants with support related to CV writing, interview skills and job search advice. DWP is monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme throughout and after its implementation and will continue to evaluate the longer-term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six-month jobs. Our Kickstart evaluation includes large scale surveys to capture the views and experiences of Kickstart participants and of employers and gateway organisations. The evaluation is considering how experiences and outcomes from the scheme vary and examine how participants’ and employers’ characteristics, local context and local approaches to delivery affect experiences. Qualitative case-studies will provide a detailed understanding of how different aspects of the scheme interact and we will draw on available data and insights. We will publish the findings of the evaluation once complete. A comprehensive, multi-strand evaluation will be undertaken to provide a robust and timely analysis of Restart delivery and impact. It will be split into four strands: targeted qualitative research during the implementation phase; a longitudinal cohort survey and qualitative research; provider research, including locally-focused case studies and finally an impact assessment including cost-benefit analysis the evaluation will assess overall programme impact and participant outcomes, as well as providing evidence on wider participant experience. An evaluation of how DWP’s plan for jobs policies worked together is being undertaken. This will include case studies of different areas and their delivery of plan for jobs policies, and a tracking survey of a sample of plan for jobs participants and non-participants. This research will run through 2022 into 2023. DWP have also recently launched 'Way to Work’, a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million people currently out of work into jobs in the next five months. We will be bringing employers into jobcentres and matching them up with claimants. This is good news for employers who need to fill vacancies and for our claimants.

Kickstart Scheme

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the Kickstart Scheme.

Mims Davies: As of the 31st January 2022, over 130,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people and over 235,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply to through the scheme. The Department for Work and Pensions will be monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme throughout and after its implementation and will continue to evaluate the longer-term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six-month jobs. Jobs made available and starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs. Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.

Remote Working: Immunosuppression

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to communicate with employers on advice for immunosuppressed people to continue to work from home.

Chloe Smith: In December 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care and UK Health Security Agency released guidance on COVID-19: guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk . This included advice to work from home if possible. If a person is unable to work from home, they should speak to their employer about what temporary arrangements they can make to reduce that person’s risk. In order to inform employers of this, the Health and Safety Executive updated it’s guidance Protect vulnerable workers - Working safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to include a section on workers who are immunosuppressed and the advice mentioned above.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of tribunals for employment and support allowance and personal independence payment benefits claims in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21 (i) nationally and (ii) from York.

Chloe Smith: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Feltham

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the discontinuation of the £20 per week uplift to universal credit on the local economy in Feltham.

David Rutley: The uplift to Universal Credit was a temporary measure, therefore we did not complete an assessment of it ending on the local economy in Feltham.

Department for Work and Pensions: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to (a) encourage and support workplace disability networks, (b) achieve and maintain the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensure responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) develop and embed flexible working.

Guy Opperman: DWP is committed to creating a workforce that embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity for all. The Department has an employee-led, HR supported national disability network established in 2019. The network Co-Chairs are members of DWP’s Disability Steering Group and have regular engagement with the Director-General Disability Champion. DWP has maintained and successfully renewed (December 2020) its accreditation as a Disability Confident Leader (Level 3). Workplace adjustments are considered as a matter of course for everyone who experiences a barrier and/or difficulty at work. We have a dedicated team who offer advice to line-managers and support the implementation of workplace adjustments. We are currently conducting an end to end review of our processes - our aim being to make the process easier to follow, simplify guidance and to remove ambiguity. We have oversight for making improvements to our workplace adjustment offer via an independent Workplace Adjustments Governance Board chaired by a senior leader in the business who is independent from key policies. Last year, DWP implemented hybrid working for all its employees in non-customer-facing roles and since at least 1980s all employees have had access to flexi time. In addition, special leave is available as a potential additional flexibility for parents, carers and others facing unusual situations that might require time off work

Universal Credit: Rents

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of nondependent rent deductions on universal credit claimants.

David Rutley: A recent assessment of the impact of non-dependant rent deductions on Universal Credit claimants has not been made. The Government believes that it is reasonable to expect the householder to know broadly what income adult members of the household receive, and that non-dependants should make a contribution towards the household costs. However, the amount that a non-dependant contributes to the household is a matter for the householder and non-dependant to decide.

Food Poverty: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of (a) people using food banks in York in the last 12 months and (b) food parcels distributed to people in York in the last 12 months.

David Rutley: Food banks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that health professionals with adequate knowledge, competencies and specialisms are involved in the assessment process for disability related benefits to ensure that the presentation of certain complex illnesses, and the impact that this can have on a person’s function, are accurately assessed.

Chloe Smith: Health Professionals (HPs) carrying out assessments on behalf of the department are medically qualified and highly trained practitioners in their own field. They are subject to a rigorous recruitment process followed by a comprehensive training programme in disability assessment. The department requires HPs to have a broad training in disability analysis, as well as training in specific conditions, including multiple and complex conditions. While preparing to undertake an assessment, HPs can access a wide range of clinical resources to research any condition presented. This includes evidence based protocols, e-learning modules, or case studies, as well as keeping knowledge up to date through Continuous Professional Development (CPD).

Poverty

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her priorities are for reducing levels of (a) absolute poverty and (b) relative poverty.

David Rutley: This Government is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £240bn through the welfare system in 2021/22 including £110bn on people of working age, including around £59 billion on dedicated support for disabled people and people with health conditions in Great Britain. More than £129 billion is spent supporting pensioners. We are giving the lowest earners a pay rise by increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 from April 2022, and making permanent changes to Universal Credit worth £1000 a year on average to two million in-work claimants. With around 1.25 million vacancies across the UK our focus is firmly on supporting people into and to progress in work as the best way to substantially reduce the risks of poverty. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has been expanded by £500 million, is helping people across the UK to find work and to boost their wages and prospects. The new 'Way to Work’ campaign is a national drive to get half a million people who are out of work into jobs in the next five months and, in doing so, supporting people take their next step to building a more secure and prosperous future. We recognise that people may require extra support over the winter, which is why vulnerable households across the country are able to access the £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund provides £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula applies in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million. To support low income families further we have increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25, helping eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins, and we are also investing over £200m a year from 2022 to continue our Holiday Activities and Food programme which is already providing enriching activities and healthy meals to children in all English Local Authorities.

Universal Credit: Uprating

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the impact of ending the £20 uplift to universal credit in the context of the recent rise in the cost of living.

David Rutley: The uplift to Universal Credit was a temporary measure, therefore we did not complete an assessment of it ending in the context of the rise in the cost of living.

State Retirement Pensions: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been affected by the underpayment of the State Pension in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Guy Opperman: The specific information requested is not collated and readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Post Office Card Account: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people currently living in (a) York Central constituency and (b) City of York Council area have a Post Office Card Account.

Guy Opperman: We do not hold information on Post Office card account customers in specific geographical areas.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of mandatory reconsiderations for employment and support allowance and personal independence payment benefits claims in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21 (i) nationally and (ii) in York.

Chloe Smith: The information for the Financial years covered by the request are detailed in the tables below:  2019-20  (£m)2020-21 (£m)PIP£23.7£24.8ESA£6.6£1.6 Cost figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1mData Source: ABM The cost figures quoted are estimated DWP level 1 operating costs, including both direct delivery staff and non-staff costs. Non-staff costs are only those costs incurred in local cost centres, relating to direct delivery staff. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide a breakdown of the costs by city or post code. Please note that the data supplied is from the Departmental Activity Based Models. This data is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards. It should therefore be treated with caution. The Departmental Activity Based staffing models are a snapshot of how many people were identified as undertaking specified activities as assigned by line managers.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2021 to Question 108450, what measurable progress she has made on reducing the number of claimants having their assessment for their benefit award overturned at a mandatory reconsideration or tribunal.

Chloe Smith: General information on numbers, timeliness and outcomes of appeals across a range of DWP benefits is available at:Tribunal Statistics Quarterly: July to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Information on intake and outcomes of Mandatory Reconsiderations for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment Support Allowance (ESA) is available from: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/Guidance for users is available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html Additional information for ESA disputes can be found atESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) And for PIP mandatory reconsiderations at:Personal Independence Payment statistics to October 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve trust in the disability benefits assessment process among disabled people.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to continuously improving our services as detailed in last year’s Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper. During the Green Paper consultation period, we explored ways in which we could improve the current system of assessments, including different ways to conduct assessments and reducing unnecessary assessments. We received over 4,500 responses to the Health and Disability Green Paper consultation. We are now analysing these and will bring forward detailed proposals in a White Paper later this year.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure employment and support allowance and personal independence payments claimants are not negatively impacted while waiting for a tribunal hearing on their claim.

Chloe Smith: The Department’s aim is to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey. We have made improvements to our decision making processes to ensure that people get the support they are entitled to as quickly as possible, because decision makers can better gather relevant additional evidence earlier in the process.

Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) when the Minister for Disabled People last met with the Government's Disability and Access Ambassadors and (b) what recent steps she has taken with those ambassadors on disability and access.

Chloe Smith: The Minister for Disabled People met the Disability and Access Ambassadors (DAAs) on 17th January 2022 for their virtual Quarterly meeting with her. They discussed taking forward access issues in all 19 of their sectors. The Minister also has a programme of individual meetings with DAAs. All DAAs have had, and continue to have, active involvement with Disability Unit projects. All DAAs remain active and busy in their sectors, including four new DAAs who were appointed in January 2022.

Personal Independence Payment: Chronic Illnesses

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made the potential effectiveness and suitability of personal independence payment assessment criteria for people with fluctuating long-term conditions.

Chloe Smith: The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment is designed to take into account the impact of variations in an individual's level of functional impairment. The criteria consider an individual’s ability over a 12-month period, ensuring that fluctuations are taken into account. The PIP assessment criteria were developed in collaboration with independent specialists in health, social care & disability, including disabled people. The Department aims to continually improve the assessment process through customer insight, stakeholder engagement and qualitative research. We published ‘Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper’ in July 2021 and asked for views on how we might improve health assessments, including the best way to capture the impacts of fluctuating conditions. Following the consultation which received 4,500 responses, detailed proposals will be brought forward in a White Paper later this year.

Personal Independence Payment: Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the continence descriptor used as part of the personal independence assessment criteria for people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease; whether her Department plans to review the continence descriptor; and if she will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: With the exception of claims made under special rules for the terminally ill, the assessment for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is focused on an individual’s functional needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, not the health condition or disability itself. As health conditions or disabilities can affect different people to varying extents, the PIP assessment measures the impact of a person’s health condition on their ability to perform the relevant activities. The PIP assessment criteria were developed in collaboration with independent specialists in health, social care & disability, including disabled people. The Department aims to continually improve the assessment process through customer insight, stakeholder engagement and qualitative research. We published ‘Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper’ in July 2021 and asked for views on how we might improve health assessments, including the scope of PIP activities and descriptors. Following the consultation which received 4,500 responses, detailed proposals will be brought forward in a White Paper later this year.

Disability: Cost of Living

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional steps she is taking to ensure disabled people are financially supported through the current period of increased costs of living and energy.

Chloe Smith: This Government is wholly committed to supporting people on lower incomes through a range of measures, including by spending around £59bn on people with disabilities and health conditions in 2021/22, which will increase by £3.5 billion to over £62 billion in 2022/23. We understand the pressures people are facing with the cost of living. The government is providing significant financial support to many households to support them with rising energy bills. The Energy Bills Rebate will provide around 28 million households with an upfront discount on their bills worth £200. Energy suppliers will apply the discount to domestic electricity customers from October. Households in England, which are in council tax bands A-D, will also receive a £150 rebate on their council tax. The rebate to council tax bills will be made directly by local authorities from April and will not need to be repaid. In addition, we’re providing support worth around £12bn this financial year and next to help families with the cost of living, cutting the Universal Credit taper to make sure work pays, freezing fuel duties to keep costs down, and providing targeted support to help households with their energy bills through the Warm Home Discount, Cold Weather Payments and Winter Fuel Payments. We recognise that some people require extra support over the winter, which is why vulnerable households across the country can access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund provides £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula applies in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million.

Work Capability Assessment: Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of work capability assessments for people with inflammatory bowel disease; and if she will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) assesses the impact of a person’s disability or health conditions on their functional ability. The activities and descriptors used in the assessment were developed in consultation with medical experts and representative groups to ensure that they are appropriate for all conditions. As such, all healthcare professionals who conduct WCAs have access to learning modules on a wide range of health conditions, including one on gastrointestinal disorders and bowel incontinence, including a section on Inflammatory Bowel Disease, that has been quality assured by a consultant gastroenterologist.

Jobcentres: Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the NatCen Report, Uses of Health and Disability Benefits, published by the Work and Pensions Committee on 3 February 2022, what steps her Department will take to (a) improve Jobcentre staff understanding of health and disabilities and (b) ensure disabled people are treated with compassion and respect.

Chloe Smith: DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all claimants, including those with health conditions and disabilities. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to the needs of the customer. We recognise the importance of understanding how a health condition or disability impacts someone’s ability to start, stay and succeed in work. Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive training programme designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to provide a high-quality service. Specific training and guidance is provided for working with different vulnerable groups and those with complex needs. Any work-related requirements are agreed in discussion with the claimant and will always be tailored in light of the impact of the claimant’s health condition, disability and circumstances, ensuring they are realistic and achievable and that the claimant is treated with compassion and respect. Disability Employment Advisers work alongside Work Coaches, providing further upksilling, and specialising in finding the right support to help all customers that have a disability or health condition. Furthermore, our Disability Employment Advisers work with health and disability related organisations in the community to provide advice and guidance to support claimants with disabilities, including those with mental health issues

Social Security Benefits: Health

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Work and Pensions Committee report, entitled Uses of Health and Disability Benefits, published 3 February 2022, what steps her Department is taking to improve information sharing between medical professionals and Job Centre Plus to mitigate the need for claimants to repeat details of their health conditions.

Chloe Smith: We remain committed to making changes to improve the current assessment processes. We are exploring how we support claimants to provide the correct evidence earlier in the process and to see if current processes can be improved to give the claimant a more positive experience. The Department is currently considering responses to Shaping Future Support: the Health and Disability Green Paper, which will feed into a White Paper on this subject later this year. Over the longer term, the Health Transformation Programme is developing the Health Assessment Service (HAS), which aims to provide an improved service, such as more efficient use of the information used to make decisions. This includes exploring data sharing to secure better medical evidence to increase the speed and quality of decision-making.

Social Security Benefits: Internet

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report of the Work and Pensions Committee, entitled Uses of Health and Disability Benefits, published on 3 February 2022, what steps her Department is taking to provide social security information and signposting to those who are digitally excluded.

Chloe Smith: DWP targets communications with citizens who may be eligible to benefits at pivotal stages in their lives, such as when they claim State Pension or report a change in their circumstances. The Department uses a wide range of channels to communicate information about benefits to potential customers; including information on GOV.UK, in leaflets and by telephone. DWP staff in Jobcentres provide support and advice about entitlement to benefits and will signpost citizens to appropriate information to help them. The Department provides telephone service lines which citizens can call to make their claims to benefit and to operate their claims as well as a visiting service which can help vulnerable customers with their claims. Jobcentres have internet terminals which are available for use by the public, and staff will signpost citizens to other community resources (libraries and Citizens Advice) which can also provide advice and internet access points. Where an out of work claimant of working age is engaging with a Work Coach to gain suitable employment the Work Coach can consider using the Flexible Support Fund to address the claimant’s barriers to employment. This includes providing devices and connections to get online.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which parts of Birmingham will be covered by her Department’s second Health Transformation Area; and when she expects that pilot to start engaging with disabled people.

Chloe Smith: As part of a carefully phased approach to launching the Health Transformation Programme, we have begun handling Work Capability Assessment cases from a small number of claimants within the Birmingham postcodes of B14, B17, B19 and B78. We plan to take on Personal Independence Payment cases from these same postcodes from Spring 2022. The programme engages with a group of national disabled people’s representative groups monthly where we have gained insights from disability charities to improve the design of the new service. We have also established and met a local group of disabled people’s representative bodies for the area the HTA covers in London and we are establishing a similar group to engage with for the Birmingham site.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Incinerators: Regulation

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is his policy for the UK to maintain regulatory alignment with European Union Directive 2010/75/EU Art 3.40 in respect of the definition of (a) pyrolysis and (b) gasification as forms of incineration.

Jo Churchill: Defra has no plans at this time to amend the existing regulatory framework governing incineration. However, Defra continuously considers how waste can be managed in the most sustainable way, including through new and emerging technologies currently classified as energy recovery.

Pigs: Slaughterhouses

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of healthy pigs that will need to be culled as a result of labour shortages and supply-chain issues for (a) the rest of 2022 and (b) 2023; and if he will publish any forecasts that his Department has made on the economic impact of that matter on the pig industry.

Victoria Prentis: Defra does not collect data on the number of pigs culled on farms. Producers, who are responsible for the welfare of animals on farm, are also not required to submit such data to us. However, from our engagement with the pig sector, we understand that around 30,000 pigs have been culled on farms since 1 September 2021. This is largely due to the backlog of pigs on farm caused by a unique combination of factors including the Covid-19 pandemic, shortages of labour in the processing sector, interruption of CO2 supplies and disruptions to the export market, particularly with exports to China. We have provided a package of measures to help address the challenging circumstances that the pig sector has faced. These include temporary work visas for up to 800 pork butchers, and Private Storage Aid (PSA) and Slaughter Incentive Payment (SIP) schemes to facilitate an increase in the throughput of pigs through abattoirs. In addition, Defra continues to work with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and other Government departments to expand existing markets and to open up new export markets for British pork. We will continue to keep the uptake of the schemes under review. In the longer term, we will conduct a review into supply chain fairness in the pig sector. This work will soon be underway. The Government will continue to monitor the evolving situation and work closely with the industry through this challenging period.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published July 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) encourage and support workplace disability networks, (b) achieve and maintain the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensure responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) develop and embed flexible working.

Victoria Prentis: Our Defra Group Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy for 2020-24 sets out our vision to be a diverse and inclusive organisation where every individual has equality of opportunity to progress and to apply their unique insights to our vision of making the UK a Great Place for Living. We have identified as a priority area in the strategy the importance of improving outcomes for disabled colleagues. Defra disability representation in our workforce is in line with the UK working age population figure at 14.2% (December 2021). Some of our key initiatives are outlined below. (a) Disability networks Defra has supported the development of 14 disability-related networks and a carers network available to support Defra employees and line managers (Annex A). Each of the networks is supported by a Senior Champion, who meet regularly with the executive Disability Champion via a Disability Board. The network leads meet as a Shadow Disability Board to ensure that the voice of disabled employees is heard in the development of policies and practices supporting disabled staff. Defra regularly consults with the network leads in the development of all HR policies. Defra supports the networks in their comprehensive programme of communications for awareness days as well as workshops, webinars and other events which are promoted via the group intranet. Defra support networks to share bespoke content across dedicated internal communications channels to maximise colleague reach. (b) Disability Confident accreditation Defra achieved Disability Confident Leader (Level 3) accreditation in December 2017. Defra has continued to maintain and improve support for disabled staff such that in June 2021 we successfully renewed this accreditation at Level 3 Leader status. (c) Workplace adjustments Defra makes provision for all employees to receive workplace adjustments and information on the process for obtaining these is detailed on the Defra Intranet, with clear links to the process to follow. Throughout the Covid 19 pandemic these processes have been reinforced and adapted to ensure support and provision to colleagues working from home, in line with wider Covid working practice adjustments. Support is available for line managers through our occupational health provider and workplace solutions provider, ensuring that timely assessment and equipment for workplace adjustments is provided as required. Arrangements are in place with a dedicated assistive technology team in Digital, Data and Technology Services to manage the timely provision of assistive technology for employees. Defra in collaboration with the disability networks has developed a ‘Making Defra disability and carer confident’ workshop. This includes information for line managers, on all types of workplace adjustments from changes in working hours/location to physical adjustments such as Assistive technology and furniture. Defra encourages the use of Workplace Passports for all employees to enable supportive conversations, capturing and recording agreed workplace adjustments, with the passport under regular review to ensure it is representative of the employee’s needs over time. (d) Flexible working We have policies and procedures in place to help Defra employees balance their personal and work responsibilities, allowing us to support our people to deliver their best while ensuring business needs are met. Defra developed and adopted a new flexi-time/working- time tracking approach which incorporates and allows for recording breaks throughout the day. Defra encourages flexible working and shares information on the Defra Intranet. This ranges from a temporary flexible working hours scheme to considering applications under the formal flexible working policy. All Defra vacancies are advertised by default to specify varied working patterns including full time, part time, flexible working, and job share. Government guidance to work from home where possible provided opportunities to review Defra ways of working. Defra established a team, Project Horizon, to support working from home (including the provision of specialist equipment where required in line with workplace adjustment arrangements) in the short term and propose new ways of working in the long term, learning from the experiences of employees. The Project Horizon team consulted with EDI employee networks (including disability networks) to complete the Equality Impact Assessment to ensure that the needs of all employees were met in working from home, returning to workplaces, and in the long term the blended working approach. To reduce barriers in colleague mobility between workplaces (home and office locations) a desk booking system was adopted including the ability to indicate individual requirements including neurodiverse/ sensory environment needs, therefore ensuring that colleagues with disabilities are able to fully benefit from the blended working approach. Annex A Autism NetworkADHD NetworkWorking Through Cancer NetworkCancer NetworkChronic Pain NetworkDisability Network (DisNet)Dyslexia Plus NetworkFatigue NetworkHearing Loss NetworkIBD NetworkMobiliseNeuro Diversity NetworkStammering NetworkVisual Impairment Network

Flood Control: Tenbury Wells

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of progress on the delivery of the Tenbury Wells flood defence scheme.

Rebecca Pow: The final outline designs and costings are expected to be agreed shortly. The designs will inform the Outline Business Case, which will be submitted for approval in late February 2022, and inform the Planning Permission submission expected in May 2022.

Forests: Conservation

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to protect and restore Britain’s temperate rainforests.

Rebecca Pow: This government recognises the importance of trees and woodlands, and has ambitious targets to treble tree planting in England as part of a UK wide commitment to establish 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this Parliament. This sits alongside our work to protect existing woodland, particularly ancient woodland. The England Trees Action Plan will help to deliver this by seeing an unprecedented number of trees planted, protected and managed to deliver more for society, nature, the climate and the economy.The international importance of temperate rainforests (also termed Atlantic woodland) in supporting rare and threatened species has been recognised in domestic biodiversity policy for many decades. Many temperate rainforests are protected by existing policy. Many are ancient woodlands, which are protected from development in all but wholly exceptional circumstances; we have committed in the England Trees Action Plan to increase protections in the planning system for long established woodland in situ since 1840. Many of our temperate rainforests support rich assemblages of species and are in our series of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. SSSI selection guidelines for woodlands are focussed on securing a representative series rather than protecting every example.This government has made a world-leading commitment to halt the decline in nature by 2030, which will rely on the restoration and creation of habitats across the country. This will be supported by funding from the Nature for Climate Fund, future farming schemes including Landscape Recovery, and new funds such as the Big Nature Impact Fund. We will consider, while designing and rolling out these schemes, how they might support the protection and restoration of certain types of woodlands including ‘temperate rainforest’. We also provide financial support the buffering and expansion of valuable woodlands such as temperate rainforests through the England Woodland Creation Offer, and funding for the improvement and restoration of temperate rainforest sites through the Regional Restoration Funds.Forestry policy is devolved, so the protection and restoration of temperate rainforests outside England is a matter for the devolved authorities.

Home Office

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to continue to publish daily figures of the number of undocumented migrants who cross the Channel by small boat.

Tom Pursglove: We are currently considering advice from the UK Statistics Authority to make sure crossing stats are published in an orderly way, providing a clear picture of small boats data to the public. The Home Office has announced statsitics will be published on Irregular migration on a quarterly basis, which will include small boat data.

Veterans: Civil Service

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many armed forces veterans have been employed by the civil service in her Department in each year since 2010.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office is unable to provide the number of forces veterans employed due to the disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley of 11 November 2021, case reference LH18478; and if her Department will provide an update on that urgent application.

Tom Pursglove: I apologise for the delay. The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 1 February 2022.

Immigration Removal Centres

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent instructions her Department has given to management at (a) Brook House and (b) Tinsley House immigration removal centres on changes to operational regimes.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which units in her Department are responsible for monitoring management performance at (a) Brook House, and (b) Tinsley House immigration removal centres; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Pursglove: Brook House and Tinsley House immigration removal centres (IRCs), located near Gatwick airport, are operated through private contract, with Home Office oversight. This oversight includes daily operational monitoring by Detention and Escorting Services (DES) Compliance teams and second line assurance carried out by DES Audit and Assurance team. Quarterly, high level oversight is carried out by senior Home Office officials and Commercial leads. Cumulatively, this oversight framework ensures the delivery of services and provisions in line with the supplier’s contract, statutory instruments, Home Office policies and published guidance. In order to support the management of the arrival of migrants, we have temporarily accommodated people under the provisions of the Short-term Holding Facility (STHF) Rules 2018 in a small number of IRCs, including Tinsley House.Additionally, the Home Office works closely with our providers and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the immigration removal estate, which includes making sure anyone who may have been exposed self-isolates. As part of these safeguards, operational regimes may be adapted to mitigate the spread of the virus. All residents continue to have access to necessary provisions during this time.

Veterans: Employment Schemes

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many veterans applied to her Department, including border force, using the civil service great place to work scheme over the nine month pilot; and how many of those applicants (a) received an interview, (b) were offered a job and (c) went on to accept a role and begin work.

Tom Pursglove: During the pilot of the Great Place to Work for Veterans scheme the department received 685 applications from veterans, of which 317 were offered an interview, 55 offered a job. Data on how many veterans accepted and started work is not available.The pilot demonstrated that the initiative was successful in providing greater opportunities to veterans to pursue a career in the Civil Service and will now be rolled out across all Departments. This is one of a number of schemes to support veterans into public sector employment, including specific plans to get more veterans into teaching, the prison service and uniformed services.

Metropolitan Police: Complaints

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints have been received by the Metropolitan Police concerning the activities of the (a) Government Whips Office and (b) Opposition Whips Office in the House of Commons over the last four weeks; and if she will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of complaints received by the Metropolitan Police concerning the activities of the Government Whips Office or the Opposition Whips Office in the House of Commons.

Immigration: Applications

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for further leave to remain her Department has responded to within its six-month target in the 12 months ending January 2022.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has a six-month target in which to respond to applications for further leave to remain.

Kevin Foster: Home Office Migration Statistics do not specifically capture information on what proportion of applications for further leave to remain are responded to within six months. This information is collated alongside applications for leave to remain. To obtain this data separately would require a manual trawl of cases and would exceed the cost threshold.Data on our performance against published Service Level Agreement (SLA) can be found within our transparency data: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Not all application routes have a six month SLA and certain routes do not have an SLA, this is due to the complexities of the applications submitted to us.

Asylum: Mental Health Services

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mental health support the Government provides to (a) refugees and (b) asylum applicants in the UK.

Kevin Foster: Refugees and asylum seekers have access to free NHS medical services in the same way as British Citizens and other permanent residents. This includes mental health services.

Travel: Coronavirus

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers disembarked at Southampton Cruise Terminal on 13 December 2021; and how many passenger locator forms were obtained.

Kevin Foster: Border Force does not collect data on passenger embarkation numbers. Therefore, we do not hold the level of data requested.Statistics relating to passenger arrivals since the Covid outbreak are published quarterly and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-relating-to-passenger-arrivals-since-the-covid-19-outbreak-november-2021/statistics-relating-to-passenger-arrivals-in-the-united-kingdom-since-the-covid-19-outbreak-november-2021.The passenger locator form (PLF) is a digital form and can be resubmitted therefore we cannot provide the data requested. All passengers arriving by cruise ship are able to submit their PLF up to 21 days in advance. Cruise companies are also required to introduce a check-in process in the terminals, so PLFs are checked prior to passengers leaving the UK.

Skilled Workers: Vacancies

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether chefs, occupation code 5434, should be added to the Shortage Occupation List.

Kevin Foster: Up until 6 April 2021, Chefs were on the Shortage Occupation List. The Government accepted a recommendation from the independent Migration Advisory Committee to remove Chefs from the SOL citing; ‘…the reduced restrictions and lower salary threshold under the Skilled Worker route compared to Tier 2 (General), and the on-going and persistent concerns that not enough is being done to train chefs from within the domestic workforce.’ Due to the expanded eligibility under our new system, for both salary and skill levels, chefs may now be recruited through the Skilled Worker visa without the requirement to demonstrate 5 years experience, and they can be paid £25,600 or more per year rather than the previous threshold of £29,570. A job does not have to be on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) to qualify for the Skilled Worker visa and being on it does not exempt a job from other requirements such as the English Language requirement. Our Plan for Jobs is focused on helping people across the country retrain, build new skills and get back into work, rather than providing alternatives to this via immigration policy. Beyond the Points Based System, there is the resident labour market which includes UK workers and non-UK citizens with general work rights.

Home Office: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the enquiry from the hon. Member for Warley of 10 November 2021 regarding Aleksei Naumov.

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the enquiry from the hon. Member for Warley of 22 October 2021 regarding Ahmed Salim Salih.

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the enquiry from the hon. Member for Warley of 22 October 2021 regarding Hussein Can.

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the enquiry from the hon. Member for Warley of 8 September 2021 regarding Mariwan Ghafour Saied.

Kevin Foster: I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded as detailed below:PQ 114626 – MPAM reference: MPAM/0203701/21 – The Home Office responded on 27 January 2022.PQ 114627 – MPAM reference: MPAM/0176880/21 – The Home Office responded on 25 January 2022.PQ 114628 – MPAM reference: MPAM/0197545/21 – The Home Office responded on 26 January 2022.PQ 114629 – MPAM reference: MPAM/0200525/21 – The Home Office responded on 30 November 2021.

Members: Correspondence

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Aberdeen North of 7 December 2021, reference ZA22739/FA.

Kevin Foster: I will respond shortly.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published July 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) encourage and support workplace disability networks, (b) achieve and maintain the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensure responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) develop and embed flexible working.

Eddie Hughes: (a) The Department provides encouragement and support to workplace networks through a partnership agreement. The agreement recognises the role our networks play, and the valuable contributions they make to help improve the working conditions, policy and processes for our diverse workforce. Networks all have a senior champion, allocated time to conduct network business and membership of various committees and regular meetings with the Department’s Executive Team and Ministers (b) The Department is an accredited Disability Confident Level 3 leader. The accreditation was reassessed and validated in April 2021 (c) The Department already has processes in place to ensure colleagues who require workplace adjustments are supported. This includes workplace adjustments passports, an Occupational Health service provision and a Workplace Adjustment service. There are service level agreements in place and we work closely with our providers to monitor performance and continuously improve. Since March 2020, we have been working with our service providers to ensure a continuity of service through various working from home restrictions and to ensure that colleagues requiring duplicate or additional equipment receive this to enable them to work comfortably in a home or office environment (d) The Department’s Smarter Working model will allow colleagues to decide when and where their work is best done. We have already rolled out new technology to all of our offices to ensure that people can join inclusive meetings regardless of their location. We also have plans to roll out smarter working standards to the rest of the estate to ensure that our buildings support flexible working which will include ensuring that people have the right workspace to support their needs whether working from home or from one of our offices.

Private Rented Housing

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his policy is on mandating annual inspections by local authority officers of rented properties to ensure standards are being followed.

Eddie Hughes: We are determined to crack down on those unscrupulous landlords who neglect their properties and exploit their tenants. We want these landlords to either improve the service they offer or leave the sector.We do not mandate annual inspections, instead, local authorities have the flexibility to focus on locally determined priorities and allocate their resources accordingly.Local authorities must keep housing conditions under review and all have a duty to use their enforcement powers when they find the most serious ‘category 1’ hazards. We strengthened these powers by introducing financial penalties of up to £30,000, extending rent repayment orders, introducing banning orders for the most serious and prolific offenders

Private Rented Housing

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his policy is on mandatory registration of privately rented properties.

Eddie Hughes: The Government has committed to exploring proposals for introducing a landlord register in England as part of a commitment to drive up standards in rented accommodation. We will publish a White Paper in Spring this year that will set out our proposals for reform of the private rented sector.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Department's average response time was to an enquiry from a hon. Member to the MP (a) hotline and (b) account management team in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Eddie Hughes: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, either directly or on behalf of their constituents.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities does not have an MP hotline.Data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers for 2019 and 2020 is published on Gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers. Data for 2021 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

Unitary Councils: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Levelling Up White Paper, published on 2 February 2022,  whether the Government has plans to establish a single unitary authority to deliver services across the county of Shropshire.

Neil O'Brien: The UK Government will not impose top-down restructuring of local government. Reorganisation remains a locally-led avenue available where there is broad local support.

Local Government Finance: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of the reduction of £31.9 million in local settlement funding for York since 2018 on the Government's delivery of its levelling up agenda.

Neil O'Brien: In 2022-23, Core Spending Power for York City Council will be £147.5 million, increasing from £125.2 million in 2018-19. This represents an increase of £22.4 million, 17.9% in cash terms or 6.3% in real terms.In total, the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2022/23 – published on 7 February - makes available an additional £3.7 billion to councils, including funding for adult social care reform. This is an increase in local authority funding for 2022/23 of over 4.5% in real terms, which will ensure councils across the country have the resources they need to deliver key services.Local authorities know their own local priorities best and have a discretion to spend their income according to local need.Levelling up is at the heart of the Government's agenda to build back better after the pandemic and was at the centre of the Manifesto on which the government promised to deliver for the people of the UK. The Government is committed to ensuring that funding allocations for councils are based on an up-to-date assessment of their needs and resources. We will work closely with local partners and take stock of the challenges and opportunities they face, before consulting on any potential funding reform.

Private Rented Housing

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his policy is on mandating training for private landlords and letting agents.

Eddie Hughes: The Government is committed to raising standards of services provided by landlords and agents in the private rental sector. We do not currently mandate any training for private landlords or letting agents although there are various legislative requirements that they are expected to meet when letting a home in the private rented sector. This includes meeting electrical and gas safety standards and protecting a tenant's deposit with a government approved scheme. The Government provides a 'How to Let' guide to support landlords and agents in meeting their responsibilities.The Government is considering the recommendations in the report received on the regulation of property agents from Lord Best's working group, and we will continue to work with industry on improving best practice.

Council Housing and Social Rented Housing

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate he has made of the total amount of (a) council housing and (b) social housing in each (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local authority area.

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many new (a) council and (b) social landlord properties have been built in each year since 2005 in each (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local authority area.

Christopher Pincher: Statistics on numbers of dwellings owned by local authorities and private registered providers as at 31 March by local authority area are published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the gov.uk website in live tables 116 and 115 respectively, which can be found at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants.Statistics on the supply of new affordable housing in each local authority area, including acquisitions of existing stock for affordable housing, are also published on the gov.uk website, in live tables 1008C and 1011 at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply. The open datafile available at the same link breaks these statistics down into those that are new build and acquisitions of existing stock, and by provider. The Department does not collect these data by parliamentary constituency.

Right to Buy Scheme

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many tenants of (a) councils and (b) social landlords have exercised the right to buy, voluntary or otherwise, in each year since 2005, by (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local authority area.

Christopher Pincher: We maintain our commitment to the Right to Buy for council tenants. Right to Buy gives people from a broad sector of the community the opportunity to own their home, encouraging stronger links and a wider interest in their local communities.The Government is grateful for the participation of the Midlands housing associations in piloting the VRTB and for the valuable partnership working with the sector. This has enabled over 1,800 housing association tenants to become homeowners, and enjoy the benefits that homeownership brings. The Government is looking at the findings from the Midlands evaluation, which will be used to help inform future policy. We will announce further details on Voluntary Right to Buy in the coming months.The statistics on local authority Right to Buy sales, as well as information on the total number of sales to tenants by local authority area (which includes Right to Acquire and other social landlord schemes) can be found in the open data here: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales#social-housing-sales-open-data.There is no information by parliamentary constituency, as it is all collected by local authority area.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published July 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) encourage and support workplace disability networks, (b) achieve and maintain the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensure responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) develop and embed flexible working.

Mr Alister Jack: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies; principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, who remain the employers. However, I am very supportive of the National Disability Strategy and can confirm that:(a) all Scotland Office colleagues have access to and can fully participate in their Departmental disability networks;(b) both of our recruiting Departments (Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice) are Public Sector Leaders in the Disability Confident scheme;(c) we are fully committed to identifying and removing any barriers that colleagues face including meeting workplace adjustment needs;(d) in addition to the standard flexible working offer provided by our recruiting Departments, the government is also committed to adopting smarter working, enabling people to work in a variety of locations to best deliver business needs.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Scotland

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that Scotland receives an equitable share of funding allocated through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund following the UK's departure from the EU.

Mr Alister Jack: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025, with all areas of the UK receiving an allocation from the Fund via a funding formula, rather than a competition. This fund will target communities, people and skills, and local businesses - maintaining commitments to match EU funds in Scotland.

Cabinet Office

UK Commission on Covid Commemoration

Justin Madders: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) membership and (b) terms of reference are of the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration Commission.

Michael Ellis: As the Prime Minister announced on 12 May 2021, and referenced during Prime Minister's Questions on 26 January (Hansard volume 707, column 994), the Government will establish a UK Commission on Covid Commemoration to consider the most appropriate way to remember those who have lost their lives and to recognise those involved in the unprecedented response. The Government will set out the Commission membership and terms of reference in due course.

10 Downing Street

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the official in charge of the investigation into reports of Downing Street parties has sought his authority to (a) share the content of the report with the Metropolitan Police and (b) remove content from the report in response to representations from the Metropolitan Police; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Ellis: I refer the Hon. Member to the Terms of Reference for the Cabinet Office investigation and the update from the Second Permanent Secretary, both of which have been published on GOV.UK and placed in the Library of the House.

Cabinet Office: Cleaning Services

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cleaners are employed by his Department; and what the average salary is for cleaners.

Michael Ellis: Across the working buildings of 70 Whitehall, 35 Great Smith Street, Downing Street and Admiralty House, the Cabinet Office employs seven cleaners, all at grade AO. Our Facilities Management contractor, Mitie, provides a number of cleaners at a salary of their discretion.

Cabinet Office: Personnel Management

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department’s human resources policies and practices were last subject to an equality impact assessment.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how often his Department’s human resources policies and practices are expected to be reviewed.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department’s human resources policies and practices were last reviewed.

Michael Ellis: In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), equality impact assessments are carried out for all new and reviewed Cabinet Office HR Policies and guidance. Most Cabinet Office HR policies are updated in line with cross government CSHR model policy which undergoes rigorous equality impact assessments. Cabinet Office HR policies are continuously under review and generally updated in line with the Department’s strategic priorities, changes to legislation, user feedback and changes to cross government model policy from CSHR.

10 Downing Street: Cleaning Services

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of cleaning in No. 10 Downing Street in each of the last five years.

Michael Ellis: This information is not centrally held and could only be provided at disproportionate cost

Cabinet Office: Coronavirus

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2021 to Question 107597 on Government Departments: Coronavirus, what additional guidance issued to staff in his Department in relation to managing the risk of covid-19 in the workplace was in force on 20 May 2020.

Michael Ellis: Throughout the pandemic, Cabinet Office has followed Government guidance on ensuring safety in the workplace. The Cabinet Office has aligned with cross-government guidance issued centrally by Civil Service HR. On 20 May 2020, in line with the Government’s advice on unnecessary travel, the Cabinet Office default position was for employees to work from home where practical. Employees who were fit for work and required to be in the workplace were advised to follow the guidance on handwashing and respiratory hygiene, the relevant social distancing measures and government/transport provider guidance on safe travel on public transport.Some operational and specialist teams were identified as essential roles, for which remote or home working may not have been an option for some or all of their working time. Cabinet Office advised that these teams should make sensible arrangements to protect employees, for example, rotas and staggered start and finish times to avoid busy commuting times on public transport. Where possible, business units were asked to ensure that they put arrangements in place to allow employees to adhere to social distancing guidance whilst in the workplace.

Cabinet Office: Labour Turnover

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the staff turnover rate is in his Department by (a) job grade, (b) race, (c) gender and (d) disability.

Michael Ellis: Turnover is calculated using Headcount on the basis of staff leaving CO over a 12 month period and includes planned and unplanned leavers. The information requested, as recorded on Cabinet Office systems on 31 January 2022, is outlined in the tables below. Job Grade ALL CO24.1%PERM SEC40.0%SCS317.8%SCS225.2%SCS125.5%G623.3%G718.6%SEO20.4%HEO30.9%EO25.4%AO23.9%Parliamentary Counsel Grades2.0%Commercial Grades14.2% RaceALL CO24.1%E/Minority25.3%White21.1%Not Declared26.9% GenderALL CO24.1%Female23.9%Male24.4% DisabilityALL CO24.1%Yes21.2%No22.2%Not Declared26.7% Special Advisers have been excluded, all Parliamentary Council and Commercial Grades have been grouped together, Faststream numbers have been grouped with HEO grade.

Prime Minister: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office report entitled Investigation into alleged gatherings on Government premises during covid restrictions - update published on 31 January 2022, what the full-time equivalent head count of staff working at (a) 10 Downing Street and (b) 70 Whitehall has been in each year since 2010.

Michael Ellis: Owing to security considerations, I am unable to provide occupancy information specifically relating to the sites for which you have requested information. However, in each year since 2010, the total full-time equivalent headcount of staff recorded as working across both buildings never exceeded 1,500.

Government Departments: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he will publish data on the timeliness of all departmental responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers in 2021.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the average length of time taken by Departments to respond to correspondence from hon. Members; and whether his Department monitors the response times of Departments to that correspondence.

Michael Ellis: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, Peers and members of the public. In July 2021, the Cabinet Office published data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers for 2018, 2019 and 2020 on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers. This data measures performance by the percentage of correspondence from MPs and Peers responded to within the target response time set by each Department - rather than the average length of time taken to respond to correspondence from MPs and Peers. As per the Guide to Handling Correspondence, updated by the Cabinet Office in July 2021, the target response time set by Departments for correspondence must not exceed 20 working days. The Cabinet Office is now in a position to publish correspondence data in a more timely manner; the data for 2021 will be published in the near future.

Treasury

Regional Planning and Development

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to encourage regional growth across the UK.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made in levelling up all regions of the UK.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government published its Levelling Up White Paper earlier this month. It sets out our missions as part of a decade long plan to see the potential of every corner of the United Kingdom fulfilled.It builds on the funding allocated at the Spending Review, for example boosting investment in skills training with a total of £3.8 billion in skills by 2024-25, transforming local transport networks with £5.7 billion investment in five-year consolidated transport settlements for eight city regions in England, including Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region, and supporting local infrastructure through the first round of the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, which saw 12 places in the North West receive £232 million in funding.It also provides further detail on the £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund, helping people to access new opportunities in places in need.

Low Incomes

Matt Vickers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to increase wages and support the lowest-income households.

Mr Simon Clarke: The National Living Wage is increasing by 6.6% to £9.50 an hour for workers aged 23 and over in April 2022, which will benefit more than 2 million workers. This means an increase of over £1,000 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage and keeps us on track to our target to end low pay by 2024-25. We have taken further decisive action to make work pay by cutting the Universal Credit taper rate from 63p to 55p and increasing Universal Credit work allowances by £500 per annum. Taken together, this is a tax cut worth around £1,000 a year for around two million low paid households. The Government recently announced the ‘Way to Work’ campaign to get 500,000 jobseekers into jobs by the end of June. We know work is the best way for people to get on, to improve their lives and support their families because people on benefits are at least £6,000 better off in full time work. Through the Plan for Jobs, the Government is also investing £99m in a new In Work Progression offer from April 2022, which will mean more people in work on Universal Credit will be able to access individualised Work Coach support to help them progress and increase their earnings. The Government is also committed to helping low-income families with the cost of living, including providing £500m for a Household Support Fund to help vulnerable households with costs for essentials such as food, clothing and utilities over the Winter.

Training

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on supporting people to upskill and change career paths.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Treasury is working to support people to upskill and change career paths. At the Spending Review, young people and adults benefitted from the biggest long-term settlement for post-16 education in England since 2015. The government is investing a total over the Parliament of £3.8bn in skills by 2024-25, equivalent to a cash increase of 42% (26% in real terms) compared to 2019-20. Spending Review 2021 delivered on the government’s commitment to invest an additional £500m per annum (£2.5bn total) in adult skills through the National Skills Fund, including continuing to offer free Level 3 courses for adults aged over 19 in high value subjects. This substantially boosts retraining opportunities for adults and will level up basic skills. We are also quadrupling the current annual scale of skills bootcamps over the SR period. Employers work with providers to deliver short courses to develop occupational skills, with participants guaranteed a job interview on completion. Bootcamps offer an opportunity for all adults to reskill and change career paths. SR21 also announced ‘Multiply’ – the Government’s new programme to level up adult numeracy. £560m across the SR period will give people the opportunity to develop their numeracy skills, funded from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Local areas will be allocated funding to deliver interventions from a menu of options including: delivering flexible Functional Skills courses to fit around adults’ lives; supporting adult to build their confidence with numbers; working with employers to deliver innovative workplace-based numeracy programmes. Getting numeracy skills is one of the most valuable things we can do to help people get on: getting Level 2 numeracy increases wages by an average of 14% after seven years, compared to 4% for Level 2 literacy. Apprenticeships are the government’s premier in-work training offer, providing learners of all ages and at all stages of their careers the opportunity to learn new skills, retrain or upskill. There are over 640 high-quality apprenticeship standards available at levels 2 (GCSE equivalent) to 7 (Master’s degree equivalent), including in ‘in demand’ sectors such as logistics, digital, and health and social care, allowing learners to both build on existing learning and explore new career directions. Higher-level apprenticeships can be an important stepping-stone to achieving these aims. Spending Review 2021 announced the first increase to apprenticeship funding since 2019, with funding rising to £2.7bn by 2024-25.

Energy: Billing

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department made of the potential merits of implementing a one-off energy support grant.

Helen Whately: The Government recognises many households will need support to help deal with the rising cost of energy prices and is providing support worth £9.1bn in 2022-23 including:o A £200 reduction in households’ energy bills this autumn, paid back automatically over the next 5 years, spreading the increased costs of global prices over time in a way that is more manageable for households.o A £150 non-repayable cash rebate to 80% of households to help with rising costs now, delivered as a payment from government to Local Authorities, for implementation from this April via a payment to all households in Council Tax Bands A-D.o £144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax reduction. We have consulted on expanding the Warm Home Discount by almost a third from 2.2m to 3m vulnerable households and increasing the rebate value to £150 each year. This approach is fiscally responsible while also helping customers manage the unprecedented increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs of global prices over time. The Government is also providing £3bn over this Parliament to help more than half a million lower income homes become more energy efficient, saving them £290 per year on average, including through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant.

Banks

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the banking industry on the potential merits of opening more banking hubs in towns and villages throughout the country.

John Glen: Treasury ministers and officials engage with stakeholders on a variety of issues. The Government recognises that access to cash and face-to-face banking services remains an important part of many people’s lives.Bank Hubs are a commercial initiative, and it is for industry to provide appropriate facilities for their customers. In December 2021, industry announced its intention to establish five new shared Post Office Bank Hubs in Acton (West London), Brixham (Devon), Carnoustie (Angus), Knaresborough (North Yorkshire) and Syston (Leicestershire). These are in addition to Bank Hubs that have been introduced in Rochford (Essex) and Cambuslang (South Lanarkshire).The Government welcomes industry efforts to develop solutions to support access to cash and banking services and looks forward to seeing what results are delivered to protect facilities for local communities across the UK.

Business: Coronavirus

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of covid-19 support scheme-related fraud by NUTS1 region.

John Glen: The Government has provided around £400 billion of direct support for the economy since the start of the pandemic, which has helped to safeguard jobs, businesses and public services in every region and nation of the UK.This package has included a wide range of different COVID-19 support schemes for businesses, delivered by a variety of Government departments, either directly, via their arms-length bodies, or via local authorities. Departments are required to disclose details of material fraud, evasion and error within their annual report and accounts. From 2021-22, departments must provide an evidenced estimate of the level of fraud and error specifically in respect of the COVID-19 related schemes they administer and the level of debt as a result of that fraud and error.  There is currently no requirement to break down this data by region and therefore it is not possible to provide an estimate of covid-19 support scheme-related fraud by NUTS1 region.

Offshore Industry: North Sea

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of how much money a windfall tax on the profits of the North Sea Oil and Gas companies would raise.

Helen Whately: The UK Government places additional taxes on the extraction of oil and gas, with companies engaged in the production of oil and gas on the UK Continental Shelf subject to headline tax rates on their profits that are currently more than double those paid by other businesses. To date, the sector has paid more than £375 billion in production taxes. All taxes are kept under review and any changes are considered and announced by the Chancellor.

Infrastructure: Expenditure

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been spent on infrastructure per capita by the Government in (a) London, (b) the North East and (c) South Shields in each year from 2010 to 2022.

Helen Whately: The government is committed to delivering a revolution in the UK's infrastructure. Spending Review 2021 delivers the government’s plans, first set out at Spring Budget 2020, to invest over £600 billion in gross public sector investment over this Parliament, reaching the highest sustained levels of public sector net investment as a proportion of GDP since the late 1970s. The government has been taking action to level up the North East as set out in the recently published Levelling Up White Paper. This includes the announcements from the Spending Review and Autumn Budget 2021 of £310 million over five years to transform local transport networks in the Tees Valley for schemes such as upgrading Middlesbrough and Darlington stations and improving local rail links, £100 million through the Levelling up Fund for 5 projects in the Norther East and £600,000 through the Community Ownership Fund for two projects in North Shields and Whitley Bay. A regional breakdown for total current and capital identifiable expenditure per head, from 2016-17 to 2020-21 can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/country-and-regional-analysis-2021/country-and-regional-analysis-november-2021.

Treasury: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average response time was for his Department to respond to an enquiry from an MP once an enquiry had been received by the MP (a) hotline and (b) account management team in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Helen Whately: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, either directly or on behalf of their constituents. The Treasury does not have an MP hotline. The Treasury does not have an account management team, and the Treasury correspondence team does not hold information on the average response time to enquiries from MPs, as correspondence performance is monitored by the percentage of correspondence responded to within the target response time set by the Department. Data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers for 2019 and 2020 is published on Gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers. Data for 2021 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

Service Industries: Coronavirus

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors recover from the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: In December, Government announced a £1bn package of support for businesses impacted by the Omicron variant. This included grants worth up to £6,000 for businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors. These measures are just the latest action we have taken to safeguard businesses and jobs and are in addition to:business rates relief meaning that the majority of businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors will see a 75% reduction in their business rates bill across the entire financial year and a new 50% capped business rates relief next financial year;a 12.5% reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism;access to finance for SMEs through the Recovery Loan Scheme to June; andBounce Back Loan repayment flexibility, with borrowers having the option to take a 6 month repayment holiday, three 6 month interest only periods or extend their loan to 10 years, which almost halves the monthly payment. Thanks to the Government’s decisive action to implement balanced and proportionate measures in response to the Omicron variant, Cabinet has decided to return to Plan A in England. This means the economy will get back to operating freely and businesses can recover more quickly.

Energy: Prices

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to bring forward a support package to help energy-intensive industries deal with the high costs of energy.

Helen Whately: We recognise that this is a difficult time for those businesses facing pressures due to increases in global gas prices and their impact on electricity and carbon prices. Since 2013, the government has provided energy-intensive industries with extensive support, including more than £2 billion to help with the costs of electricity. We also have various funds in place to support businesses with high energy usage in cutting their bills, including the £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund. The government is also continuing to speak with a range of industry bodies and firms at both a ministerial and official level and will continue to do so.

Business: Investment

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to encourage businesses to invest.

Helen Whately: Under the super-deduction, from April 2021 until the end of March 2023, companies can claim a 130% capital allowance on qualifying plant and machinery investments. It is the biggest two-year business tax cut in modern British history. At Budget, the Government announced that the temporary £1 million Annual Investment Allowance level would be extended until the end of March 2023. These measures provide more upfront support to help businesses across the UK invest and grow.

Treasury: USA

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2022 to Question 94388 on Treasury: USA, where he stayed on that trip to California.

Helen Whately: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 11th January 2022. As stated, information on Ministerial travel and costs are published regularly at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-giftsand-overseas-travel

Treasury: USA

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2022 to Question 94388 on Treasury: USA, who accompanied him on that trip to California.

Helen Whately: The Chancellor was accompanied by two Special Advisors and two Private Secretaries.

Taxation: Electronic Government

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Making Tax Digital reforms on the workload of small businesses and accountants in the run up to submission deadlines.

Lucy Frazer: Making Tax Digital (MTD) is already benefiting UK businesses, simplifying tax administration through software.   Digital record keeping, using accounting software or apps, will make end of year activity a simpler process than it currently is. However, as with any change, the transition to digital may be more of a step for some. For MTD for VAT, operating since April 2019, independent research shows that most businesses felt the process of transitioning was easy. For MTD for Income Tax, quarterly summaries of business income and expenditure automatically produced from businesses’ digital records will spread the checking and assurance of accounts through the year, reducing pressure at year-end. HMRC’s assessment of impacts on businesses was shown in the Tax Information and Impact Note and supplementary information published on 23 September 2021, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extension-of-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax-self-assessment-to-businesses-and-landlords/extension-of-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax-self-assessment-to-businesses-and-landlords

Cash Dispensing: Public Consultation

Darren Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department will publish the conclusions of the Access to Cash consultation.

John Glen: The Government recognises that cash remains an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, which is why it has committed to legislate to protect access to cash. From 1 July to 23 September last year, the Government held the Access to Cash Consultation on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. The Government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The Government received responses to the consultation from a broad range of respondents, including individuals, businesses, and charities. The Government is carefully considering responses to the consultation as it develops legislation. The Government will set out next steps in due course.Following the Government’s commitment to legislate, firms are working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to provide shared services. The Government welcomes the direction set by industry’s commitments at the end of last year and looks forward to seeing what results they deliver in protecting cash facilities for local communities across the UK.

Imports

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs use to (a) calculate and (b) query freight charges for an individual who imports goods to the UK from abroad.

Lucy Frazer: Freight charges are levied by commercial carriers. Therefore, those charges are a commercial matter between the carrier and their customers.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Fraud

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many enquiries HMRC has made as part of its random enquiry programme to investigate fraud in the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme; and how much money has been through that programme.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC are taking action to tackle fraudulent behaviour. Anyone who keeps grant money despite knowing they were not entitled to it, faces having to repay up to double the amount they received, plus interest, and potentially criminal prosecution. The Government has invested £100 million in the Taxpayer Protection Taskforce up to 2022-23. They are expected to undertake 30,000 interventions and recover between £800 million and £1 billion. All claims are risk assessed and considered for further one-to-one intervention where necessary. Along with gaining operational data from completed compliance interventions, HMRC are also conducting a random enquiry programme into Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) claims to test the error and fraud rate in the general population. Cases are selected at random and there may be no obvious risk present. Random enquiry programmes are a part of the methodology employed by HMRC to develop the estimates of error and fraud. Therefore, providing this data in isolation does not give an accurate representation of compliance efforts on the CJRS. Data from the random enquiry programme along with details of CJRS compliance interventions will enable HMRC to publish new and updated error and fraud estimates in their Annual Reports and Accounts and accompanying technical note, which is expected in July 2022.

Universal Credit: Uprating

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the impact of re-introducing the universal credit temporary uplift on the cost of living.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government has always been clear that the £20 per week increase to Universal Credit (UC) was a temporary measure to support households whose incomes and earnings were affected by the economic shock of COVID-19.To help with the cost of living, the Government is taking action worth around £12bn this financial year and next. This includes cutting the Universal Credit taper rate and increasing Universal Credit work allowances to make sure work pays, freezing alcohol and fuel duties to keep costs down, and providing targeted support to help vulnerable households with their energy bills and other essentials through the £500m Household Support Fund.In addition, the Government announced last week that we are providing further financial support to help households with the rising costs of energy. Support of up to £350 will be provided to protect the majority of households from half of the forecast £700 rise in average energy bills. This support is worth £9.1bn in 2022-23 (on top of the £12bn already announced) and is composed of:A £200 discount for all households, delivered via their energy bill this autumn, paid back automatically over the next 5 years, spreading the increased costs of global prices over time in a way that is more manageable for households.A £150 non-repayable cash rebate to 80% of households to help with rising costs now, delivered as a payment from government to Local Authorities, for implementation from this April via a payment to all households in Council Tax Bands A-D.£144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax Rebate.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling Act 2005

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential financial public losses as a result of the proposed changes to the Gambling Act.

Chris Philp: The Gambling Act Review is wide-ranging and aims to ensure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age. We will publish a white paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming months. Appropriate consideration of impacts is being made at all stages.

Sports: Emergencies

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate that took place at the Council of Europe between 24 and 28 January 2022 on sports policies in times of crisis.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular the PACE in this sphere, noting that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.The Government recognises the important role that sport and physical activity plays, and took action to support the sport sector during Covid as a time of crisis. This is demonstrated by the £600 million Sport Survival Package set up in November 2020 as a result of restrictions on crowd capacities.Furthermore, the £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund has supported local authority leisure centres to recover and reopen during the pandemic. This is in addition to more than £6 billion of unringfenced funding that has also been given to local authorities since the start of the pandemic to allocate in line with local needs which includes leisure facilities.

S4C: Finance

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of the freeze in the licence fee on the funding allocated to S4C through partnership agreements with the BBC.

Julia Lopez: The UK Government has a strong record of demonstrating its commitment to minority language broadcasting to ensure that our broadcasting sector services all audiences of the UK nations and regions. This has been reflected in the strong settlement for S4C, providing £88.8 million per annum for the first two years, then rising in line with inflation thereafter, which includes a new commitment of £7.5 million per annum to support S4C’s digital development, ensuring S4C’s offering remains sustainable in the digital age.The licence fee settlement will also provide the BBC with billions in annual public funding, allowing it to deliver its mission and public purposes and to continue doing what it does best.As the BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the government, how the BBC uses their funding is therefore a question for them, including any partnerships with minority language broadcasters. However, the Secretary of State has been clear she wants to see the BBC deliver the best quality services and output possible with the public funding they receive.The BBC’s Royal Charter also contains a general duty to "support the regional and minority languages of the United Kingdom through its output and services and through partnerships with other organisations".

Women and Equalities

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the impact on (a) levels of trust in the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the part of the LGBTQ+ community and (b) public perceptions of the political independence of the Equality and Human Rights Commission of appointments made to the Commission in (i) 2020 and (ii) 2021.

Mike Freer: The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent public body, and makes its own decisions on how it exercises its functions and its relations with its stakeholders. All public appointments to the EHRC are made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments through fair and open competition.